Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Doctor Who, I do own all original Elves.

Beta: The amazing royalladyemma

Written for the Long Live Ianto Big Bang Round 1


Chapter 9

After showing Ianto all around the Hub, Jack finally realised that while he had no problem in understanding Ianto, the rest of the team wouldn't. They didn't have the TARDIS' translation matrix in their brains the way he did, so he'd spent the last ten minutes working on reactivating an alien translator. He considered himself darned lucky to have found it in the mess that is known as the Torchwood Archives. A cheer escaped Jack as he managed to get the translator working. "Can you understand me?" Jack asked Ianto in plain old English.

Ianto's eyes went wide as he understood Jack's words perfectly. "Yes! Yes, I can!" Ianto happily exclaimed, unaware of the effect he was having on Jack. "Am I speaking man's language now?"

As those delicious Welsh vowels fell from Ianto's lips, it took all of Jack's willpower not to pin the Elf against the nearest surface and have his wicked way with him. Jack shifted slightly trying to hide his growing arousal; he'd always found the Welsh accent sexy but what Ianto did to it nearly made Jack come in his pants like a schoolboy. 'I would much rather come inside Ianto,' Jack thought with a leer. He didn't know why the translator was giving Ianto a Welsh accent and frankly he didn't care, Jack could listen to Ianto talk for hours. 'But I would much rather hear those Welsh vowels lost in passion and screaming my name. And I will, very soon,' Jack promised himself.

Ianto was not quite as unknowing and innocent as Jack had thought, perhaps even had hoped; with his heightened sense of smell, he could detect even the minute change in Jack. Doing his best to appear nonchalant, Ianto took a step or two close to Jack, putting himself within whiffing range. The young Elf could feel the heat pouring off Jack's human body; it was intense and mesmerising. He inhaled slowly and deeply, drawing Jack's scent into his lungs and he had to fight back his own grin; his lifemate was aroused! Not wanting Jack to think the attraction was all one-sided, Ianto let out a very low keening in the back of his throat as he let his personal defences down.

Jack's nose twitched as he suddenly discovered that the air in the Hub was filled with the most delectable scent. It wasn't until he heard the keening noise coming from Ianto's throat that something deep and primal snapped in Jack's brain. His skin immediately became too tight for his body as he realized what the scent meant. 'Ianto, my Ianto, is aroused!'

A growl full of intense and fervent need escaped Jack's mouth and his eyes darkened as they bored into Ianto's; a feral grin curled his lips when he saw the matching look of anticipation and lust in Ianto's eyes. Jack took a step forward, ready to claim what was rightfully and wholly his.

Ianto couldn't stop the soft whimper slipped from between his parted lips as he watched Jack move towards him. The immortal reminded the young prince of a hungry, passionate animal, on the prowl for satisfaction and pleasure. Jack let out an answering growl as he stepped even closer to the Elf, bringing their bodies to within a hair's breadth of one another. Once they were within touching distance, Jack reached out a trembling hand, and his fingers brushed along Ianto's cheek. With a blissful sigh of contentment, Ianto leaned into his lifemate's palm.

The slight touch sent a fire roaring through their bodies and suddenly, a single touch was simply not enough. Jack's arm snaked around Ianto's waist and he pulled the willing Elf tightly against his body and his fingers moved from Ianto's cheek to the back of his neck. Blue looked hypnotically into blue, their gaze never leaving each other as their lips drew closer. Ianto's eyes fluttered closed at he felt Jack's lips on his.

'I have absolutely died and gone to heaven!' Ianto melted against Jack's body; his whole world was wrapped up in the immortal's arms. He peeked out beneath his long dark lashes and smiled into the kiss when he saw that Jack's eyes were closed. Closing his again before Jack could catch him peeking, Ianto snuggled into Jack's chest. 'I've found my most favourite place in the Universe,' he thought; 'right here, in Jack's arms.'

Jack never thought he'd ever live through another moment that was as totally and absolutely perfect as the one he was in right then. He'd found the man – the Elf – of his dreams, and he was holding him, kissing him, breathing him in like there was no tomorrow. Even though he couldn't die, he'd clearly gone to heaven. He was so thankful that the TARDIS had come to see him.

When the need for air became their over-riding concern, Jack and Ianto reluctantly pulled apart, but only as far as necessary to drag much needed oxygen into their lungs. A few minutes later, and with matching goofy grins on their faces, they puckered up and began round two of marathon kissing. In unison, they both sighed happily and closed their eyes only for both pairs to fly back open as alarms sounded everywhere.

'I am going to kill which ever one of my team this is!' Jack vowed savagely. Suddenly embarrassed, Ianto tried to move out of Jack's arms but one warning growl from his soon-to-be-lover had him staying put.

"Oh! Did I come at a bad time?" A voice Jack had been so sure he would never hear again spoke from behind them.

With Ianto still held securely in his arms, Jack turned them both and came face-to-face with the one man he had truly begun to believe he would never see again. For a brief instant, Jack actually felt his legs tremble as a wave of hope crashed over him; maybe the Time Lord had found a way of reversing his curse.

While one part of him really was thrilled that the Doctor was standing there in front of him, another part, the part of him that was ruled strictly by the need to claim Ianto was oh-so tempted to lock the Doctor in the cell next to Janet until after he finished making Ianto his. "Doc, you have lousy timing for a Time Lord, you know that?" Jack sighed as he reluctantly, very reluctantly, released Ianto from his arms, only to discover to his delight that Ianto stayed firmly at his side.

Ianto wasn't sure what to make of the strange man Jack had called Doctor. With his senses still highly in tune with Jack's, he could feel the sense of loss and betrayal pouring off Jack and his heart clenched. It pained him deeply to know that someone could hurt Jack in any way and that made him dislike the Doctor immensely, and yet he couldn't help but be intrigued at the same time. The man smelt like time and that made Ianto's nose twitch with curiosity and anticipation.

From the moment the Doctor walked into the Hub, he could tell that something was different; he could literally taste it in the air. He took a long sniff and then the Doctor's eyes widened in amazement. He could smell magic, Elfin magic! He spun around in a slow circle, looking intently and sniffing loudly, narrowing down the source of the enchanted scent before coming to a halt and staring directly at Ianto.

Then, to the Elf's shock and Jack's jealously, he crossed the distant between them with just a few long steps and without warning or permission, he cupped Ianto's face with both hands and gave his cheek a long, hard lick. "Well, I'll be. You're an Elf! And not only that but you're a Royal Elf." The Doctor grinned broadly. It had been ages since he'd last seen an elf. "Oh this is brilliant! I've not laid eyes on your kind since you all left the mortal realm."

Indignantly, Jack snatched Ianto out of the Doctor's reach and then he deliberately sniffed Ianto's cheek before licking the soft flesh. No one was allowed to mark Ianto but him. "Mine!" His outraged growl was a warning aimed right at the Doctor.

The Doctor's eyes widened to a nearly impossible size as he became aware of a second, almost overpowering scent and he realised what he just interrupted. Jack was seducing and claiming his mate. He looked at the dangerous, hands-off glare in the immortal's eyes and he raised hands in surrender. "Right! Message received and completely understood! Ianto is yours!" The Doctor took a step back and tried to make himself appear small and less threatening.

The immortal's primal mindset was old as time itself and the Time Lord understood it completely. Jack had yet to claim Ianto as his mate and therefore he saw anyone who got too close to his mate as a dangerous challenge, and the moment he licked Ianto's cheek, the Doctor became Jack's primary rival.

It took Jack a few moments to calm down enough to realise that the Doctor was not a rival for Ianto. "Don't get me wrong, Doc, I am happy to see you, but why are you here?"

A sheepish expression appeared on the Doctor's face. "It would seem that I've lost the TARDIS."

"You did WHAT?" Jack could only stare in utter disbelief at the Doctor. "You lost the TARDIS?"

"I didn't actually lose the TARDIS; I simply misplaced the old girl. I'm sure she'll show up when she wants to." The Doctor waved a dismissive hand at Jack; there was no way that the Doctor was going to tell Jack that the TARDIS left him behind. He knew that the immortal would never, ever, let him live that down.

It was quite clear to Jack that the Doctor was hiding something but right now that didn't matter; 'the Doctor is here and that means I can finally get some answers!'

Jack didn't want to appear too eager; he didn't want to scare the man away. "Doctor, we have to talk." At that moment it wasn't Jack Harkness talking; no, it was Captain Jack Harkness, a man of power and authority who was used to having his orders followed.

The Doctor fought back the urge to wince. "Um, perhaps it would be better if we talked in private?" he offered hopefully.

Jack shook his head. "No way, Doc, anything we have to say we can say in front of Ianto." Something in Jack told him that he was going to need Ianto's support.

The Doctor sighed as his shoulders slumped. "What do you want to know?"

Jack tightened his grip on Ianto waist. "Everything; but let's start with how did I end up like this and can you make me normal again?" The agony in Jack's voice was so clear that to Ianto, his mate's pain was like a dagger to his heart. Ianto hugged Jack close to him.

"Rose, Jack, it was Rose but it wasn't her fault because after I sent her away from the space station, she just wanted to help and so she looked into the heart of the TARDIS and then, when she found out the Daleks had killed you, she made a very human wish to bring you to life, only she couldn't control the power and when Rose said 'I bring life,' the vortex took her literally, and she brought life you back to life but she didn't mean to, she didn't even realise what she was doing, but she made it forever." The Doctor's words tumbled from his lips at break-neck speed, and when he finally stopped speaking he was gasping for breath.

Jack reeled back as if he'd been physically struck and it was only the strength of Ianto's supporting arms that kept him upright. "You knew I was still alive and you just left me behind anyway?" In that instant, everything he had ever felt for the Doctor changed. Gone was the friendship, the admiration, the respect and the hero worship Jack had felt and in their place was such a bleak sense of betrayal, disappointment and loss that Jack wasn't sure if he could ever forgive the Doctor for simply abandoning him. 'How can I get past just being left behind with all that death?'

"You're a fixed point in time now, Jack, and it's hard for me to look at you; you're wrong." The Doctor muttered softly; he was unable to look his old friend in the eye.

The moment he felt Jack's violent flinch, Ianto had had enough of the Doctor's harsh and unfeeling treatment of Jack. "Jack is not wrong! I've only known him for a short while but I know that he's a wonderful man. You should be ashamed of yourself!" the young Elf shouted at the Time Lord. As he drew himself up to his full height, he became every inch the royal Prince that he was and he looked at the Time Lord with fury blazing in his eyes. "If anyone is wrong, it's you!"

Jack and the Doctor both stared at the Elf with different degrees of shock. Jack felt like he was going to cry never before had anyone ever stood up for him with such fire in their soul. The Doctor, on the other hand, felt ashamed of his words to Jack and the realisation that he might have permanently damaged his relationship with Jack stole the very breath from his lungs.

"I'm sorry, Jack," the Doctor gasped. "I mean it. I should have said that." He was willing to admit that his past treatment of Jack was wrong; he just hoped that it wasn't too late to salvage his relationship with the unhappy immortal.

"It's fine." Jack shrugged his shoulders as he tried to play it all off. The last thing he wanted was for the Doctor to see how deeply his unthinking words had hurt.

Ianto, on the other hand, was having none of it. "No! It is not fine! You do not have the right to treat Jack like he's done something wrong. It was not his fault he was made immortal, it was Rose's fault. Yes, I get she was trying to do the right thing, but she didn't think about the possible consequences of her actions. In a way she was just as thoughtless as you are right now. So if you're going to blame anyone the blame goes to her!" The Elf was trembling with rage.

"Jack had absolutely no control over his fate and it's wrong of you to treat him so carelessly. Do you have any idea how much pain and suffering Jack has gone through and all because of you? Jack Harkness is a good man and you abandoned him at the worst, most confusing moment of his life!" Ianto's voice had risen only slightly, but his words were echoing off the Hub's rafters.

Fire blazed in his bluer-than-blue eyes. "You pretend to be this great hero to the Universe who's willing to rush in and save an entire world of strangers at the drop of a hat. But when a true friend needs you, you tuck your tail between your legs and run away like a coward." Ianto shook his head sadly.

"You owe it to Jack to make things right." By the time Ianto finished speaking his voice had dropped to a bare murmur, and his disappointment in the Time Lord was clearly evident on his face. He slipped his hand into Jack's and squeezed.

"Ianto… that was so hot." Jack had never been so turned on in his life. 'Maybe that's because no one has ever cared enough to defend me like that before.' Jack's smile was tinged with sadness.

The Doctor watched as Ianto gently stroked Jack's cheek in a gesture of pure tenderness and for a moment, as they looked into one another's eyes, they were the only two people in the world. He experienced a pang of jealousy; he couldn't remember the last time someone had looked at him with so much love. A blinding flash of realisation stunned him and he felt his mouth drop open in shock.

"An Elf and the man made immortal by time's gift would reunite two worlds once again." He slowly muttered the words his old friend, Saeldur, had told him just before the wise Elf had breathed his last. 'That's why the TARDIS let Rose look into her heart; the old girl knew of Jack's destiny! It all makes sense now.' Until that very moment, the Doctor had never understood why the TARDIS had taken such a huge risk as to allow Rose access to her power. Now, however, it all made perfect sense.

Jack was meant to become Immortal; he was meant to bring the two worlds back together. The Doctor felt like quite the fool; he'd been so busy feeling sorry for himself that he'd been blind to see what the TARDIS had been trying to show him. 'Jack has a great destiny waiting for him, and I was a fool to let my prejudice against Jack's condition guide my actions.'

'After all,' the Doctor reasoned with himself, 'fate isn't something the man had any control over, which means I never should have abandoned him! Ianto was right, of course; my ignorance is entirely my own problem and I had no business blaming Jack for something that was Rose and the TARDIS' doing.'

Satisfied with his logic and thought processes, the Doctor looked at Jack. "Ianto's right. I am the one who is mistaken here and I'm sorry for ever saying that you were wrong Jack." Apology and humbleness was clear in the Doctor's voice. "I hope someday I can earn your forgiveness."

Jack opened and closed his mouth but nothing came out. He honestly could not believe that Doctor had apologised and that he truly meant it. "I won't lie, you did hurt me with your words but I forgive you, Doc, if you hadn't left me behind on Space Station 5, I wouldn't be here today, which means I would have never met Ianto."

Jack smiled at the elf he had only just met that very night. They may have only been together for a few hours, but he simply couldn't imagine his life without Ianto. The young Elf had brought a light into the immortal's life that he hadn't even realised was missing. The moment Jack had first seen Ianto's smile, he knew that he would never have to be alone in the darkness again. There was a special something surrounding Ianto that Jack hadn't encountered before and it intrigued him. He reached out and took Ianto's hand in his, raised it to his lips and kissed the back of it. Even a blind man could have seen the desire in his eyes as she gazed at his young Elf.

The Doctor clapped his hands in glee as he watched the human and Elf interact. Anyone could see the sparks flying between Jack and Ianto, and yes, even he could see the obvious feelings between them. "Soooo, are you going to show me around your base or stand there making googly eyes at your Elf?" he asked teasingly.

Ianto blushed and Jack let out a loud laugh before he brushed a kiss across Ianto's temple. "Come on, I'll give you both the grand tour." Jack smiled at the two of them, hoping that walking around his Hub; would ease the tension that still existed between them all; he wanted Ianto and the Doctor to get along.

TBC…