So here it is, the final chapter. Though I want to make it very clear right now that not only is there a bonus chap going up very soon, but there is also very much a sequel, so this aint the end.
Anyway, do enjoy (hopefully XP)
It was cold, it was cold and dark, but it didn't hurt anymore, it was more like he was just floating around in nothing, like a cloud in a dark sky.
Ianto Cooper felt lost in his own mind, he knew he was sleeping, and he knew he'd been sleeping for a long time now, ever since he'd been on that bench in Leister Square and the thing around his neck had dragged him back into the darkness, he just didn't know how to wake up. He tried to work out where his limbs were - could he feel his fingers? His hands? He tried to reach out and was rewarded with a faint cold sensation, nothing new really, but it wasn't a dark cold – it was kinda wet. He fumbled with his fingers, feeling his newly rediscovered forehead crease into a frown as his fingers dug into something that felt like cake mix. He tried to open his eyes but it wasn't happening, but he did manage to bring a hand up to his face – he was definitely waking up now.
'O Pidyn…' he cursed quietly in welsh, his voice scratchy, as he managed to force himself to sit up, he leaned forward, resting his head on his knees, trying to will his eyes open.
'You're finally up then?' came a tired sounding voice, and Ianto turned to face it, his eyes watering from the light – it was Jack.
'I guess so,' Ianto said, screwing his eyes shut again and rubbing the sleep out of them. He heard Jack stand up, and felt his thoughts get closer as he walked over to him. The American sat down next to Ianto on the odd feeling ground and spoke quietly into his ear;
'When you open your eyes, don't look down.' However, having heard that, this was exactly what Ianto did.
They were sat on the edge of a cloud, a great ivory coloured cloud, suspended miles above a thrashing sea, the waves the colour of blood.
'Jesus Christ!' Ianto exclaimed, falling back and scrambling away from the drop, 'we're on a bloody cloud!' Jack grinned at him, but Ianto was still to shocked to be annoyed by the waves of amusement emanating out of the older man.
'Yes we are.' Jack said, still smirking as he reached out a hand and took hold of him, sitting him down again, 'Though technically it's a floating rock with cloud around it – we'd go straight through otherwise.' Ianto blanched as the contact showed him Jack imagine them both plummet through the floor into the red sea below, he snatched his hand away, blocking the image out. The image of his impending death away from the forefront of his mind, Ianto took another look down at the distant water,
'It's amazing.' He whispered,
'It's alien.' Jack said matter of factly, and Ianto shoved him,
'I don't need to be psychic to work that out you burk.' He muttered, and Jack laughed, 'Where are we?' Ianto asked and Jack stretched out, leaning back into a pillar of the cloud structure.
'Its called Neonbara,' he said, 'it's just one big ocean, with the people living on the clouds.' Ianto nodded, now looking at the clouds around them, there were houses built into them – made out of a rock the same colour as the vapours, and there were people milling about in between them, they were blue and appeared to have wings.
'It's beautiful.' He said honestly 'But how far away from home are we?' Jack considered this a moment,
'About three and a half lightyears.' he said, and Ianto nodded slowly, before he looked away from the American, it was time for the big question,
'Well that's cool,' he said, before taking a big breath, 'But why have you brought me here?'
---
Jack looked at the boy carefully, the conditioning process was dormant right now, but it wouldn't be long before the protocols started to kick in. He really didn't want to do this to the kid now – he was so calm so far – but he needed to get this done now, before he started with the questions.
'Kid,' he said slowly, and the boy looked up from the crashing red waves.
'Yes?' he asked, his face falling as he took in Jack's seriousness. Jack took a deep breath.
'Do you know where Sophie is?' he asked, saying the words carefully and clearly, and he saw the change in the kid's eyes as the protocols activated. The boy clutched at Jack's arm, his eyes suddenly frantic.
'Where is Sophie?' he gasped, 'Where is she? I need to know where she is, I am her property - I have to be where she is!' Jack held the boy still as he tried to get up, his feet slipping on the clouds damp surface.
'Kid, kid, look at me – calm down.' Jack ordered, cursing the dead vampire to whatever hell Elunoirs believed in as the boy started to hyperventilate. 'There's a transmitter in the collar, psychic signals, what you're feeling - it isn't real.' Jack tried to reason with him, but the boy was staring off into the distance, his thin frame shaking.
'I... can't... think.' He mumbled, leaning into Jack and starting to hit his fists into his temples. 'I have to find Sophie, she's my owner - I'm hers.' Jack scowled, this had to stop.
'You're not anybody's,' he said, but the boy was simply mumbling now. 'Listen, the collar has a psychic conditioning centre, to stop Talmaras from wandering away, but you're psychic too, you can ignore it – shut it off.' He wasn't even sure the boy could hear him anymore.
'I can't...' he stammered.
'Yes you can, you can do this, just shut it off - you don't have to think about her.' Jack reasoned, but the boy simply curled up smaller, moaning quietly as he stopped moving, his head stationary against Jack's chest.
'Can't... can't...' he repeated, slowly petering off into silence, Jack sat him up away from him, studying the boys face, it was blank now, even the fear gone – like he'd gone into himself.
'Kid,' Jack asked, starting to panic himself; they couldn't just fall at the first hurdle like this. 'Kid, listen to me – can you hear me?' the boy gave no response. Jack frowned, this wasn't normal. 'Kiddo.' He said again, 'Are you there?' again, nothing, Jack really was panicking now.
'Ianto!' Jack said desperately, shaking him, and the boy finally responded; slowly lifting his head. The American laughed nervously in relief, 'Can you hear me Ianto?' he asked again, and the boy slowly nodded, his eyes coming to focus on Jack's face.
'Thanks,' he said hoarsely, and Jack smiled easily,
'How do you feel.' He asked, and Ianto tilted his head to one side, considering this,
'I can still hear it,' he said, 'it wants to know where she is.' Jack scowled, but the boy smiled shakily, 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I don't care where she is.' Jack laughed shortly, that was a relief.
Ianto took a deep breath, 'you know,' he added slowly, 'that's the first time you've said my name.'
Jack blinked, his laughter gone,
'What?' he asked, his smile falling a notch, was that right? The boy smiled sadly, nodding again.
'Yeah.' He said, looking embarrassed, and Jack sat back, suddenly unbelievably tired.
'Oh,' he said, rubbing his hands against his forehead, 'Oh…' he said again. Ianto looked sympathetic.
'It's because of Ianto Jones isn't it?' the welsh boy asked quietly, and Jack just looked at him, unable to reply. 'You don't have to say,' he added quickly, 'I know that that's what it is – I got that almost straight away.' Jack shut his eyes.
'Yeah,' Jack said finally, 'it's because of Ianto Jones.' Ianto Cooper nodded,
'It's eaten you up.' He said, 'It made the hole in your chest almost too big for you to take.' Jack just looked at him blankly.
'The hole?' he asked, and Ianto nodded again,
'The one that makes you read like a dead person.' He said, and Jack laughed hollowly,
'Never heard that one before.' He said bitterly, and Ianto shrugged,
'It's a fact,' he said simply, 'But I suppose I must be reading you wrong seeing as you apparently can't die.' Jack scowled now,
'Don't talk to me about things you don't understand.' He said coldly, but the boy simply smiled,
'So tell me all about it.' He said simply, and Jack looked at him, nonplussed – the kid really was pretty unreal, he wasn't taking a moment to think about why he'd almost just had a full mental breakdown, he wanted to know what was up with him? However, Ianto didn't actually wait for an answer, his face instead turning serious, 'But first, tell me why I am here.' Jack blinked, he'd almost forgotten about that whole can of worms. He decided to keep it simple.
'Well I guess I kidnapped you.' He admitted.
---
Ianto looked at the older man blankly, he wasn't lying.
'You, kidnapped me?' he asked incredulously, and Jack shrugged noncommittally,
'Kidnap, rescue, it all pretty much amounts to the same thing.' The older man said, and Ianto tried to glean some more info from his emotions, but Jack was being carefully neutral.
'Oh screw that.' Ianto muttered and promptly jumped on him, pinning the American down on the cloud, his hands on either side of his head, the first thing he saw was his mother, with a gun.
'My mum tried to shoot you?' he demanded, as Jack shoved him off, now pinning Ianto down on the misty floor,
'Stay out of my head.' He growled, looking down and him whilst Ianto tried to get up, but Jack had far too good a hold on him and after a minute he gave up, red faced.
'I wouldn't have had to if you'd just said.' He muttered and Jack raised his eyebrows,
'You didn't give me the chance.' He said, and Ianto shrugged, well, he tried to shrug – it was hard with the other man on top of him. And Jack didn't seem about to move.
'Fine.' Ianto conceded, but Jack stayed put, the welsh boy raised an eyebrow. 'Do you want another kiss or something? – because I remember saying something about earning them.' Jack rolled his eyes before letting the boy up, and Ianto sat back, folding his arms. 'So,' he said, 'Spill' Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair,
'Well, that thing in your neck…' he started, and Ianto gingerly ran his fingers over the cold marks on his skin.
'You mean the one that I'm trying very hard to ignore?' he asked, attempting to smile, he couldn't feel it like he could when he woke up – it didn't feel like someone was choking him with ice anymore, it just felt weird, especially the bits he could feel through his neck.
'Yeah, that one.' He said seriously, Ianto nodded,
'What is it?' he asked, and then he realised what is was that was making him feel weird, 'I feel heavy.' He added, and Jack nodded thoughtfully.
'You would do with all that metal in you.' He said after a moment, and Ianto froze.
'Metal?' he asked hollowly, was that what he could feel?
'Yeah, it's the collar is made out of, it's called Luman – it's running around your neck and down your spine.' Ianto touched his back gingerly.
'Good to know.' He said weakly, 'Why?'
'Did the Elunoirans tell you what they did?' Jack asked carefully, and Ianto nodded.
'They sold extra life, in diamonds.' He said,
'Well, apart from the metal, there are a hell of a lot of those diamonds in that thing.' Jack explained, and Ianto felt the colour drain out of his face.
'What..?' he stammered, suddenly scared for the first time, 'Did I die? Am I dead??' he said, his eyes wide, but Jack shook his head.
'Do you feel dead?' he asked, and Ianto forced himself to calm down – he didn't feel dead, no.
'Well no,' he said slowly, 'but that's what those diamonds did wasn't it? Made you alive for a little longer when you were dead.' Jack considered this,
'That's what a bracelet or something else like that would do.' He said, 'Something on the outside, what you've got is plugged straight into you – it'll make you live…' the American paused and Ianto read a flush of self directed anger, '…for a really, really long time.' Ianto blinked, that was, unexpected.
'You what?' he asked, and Jack looked awkward.
'The Elunoirs,' he said, 'They live for a really long time.' Ianto nodded,
'Two thousand years.' Ianto said, remembering Leroux's words, but then he blinked, 'Two thousand years?' he practically shrieked, and Jack looked guilty,
'If not longer,' he admitted sadly, and Ianto sat back, his mind blank. Two thousand years? Could he live for two thousand years?
'I'd end up looking like a raisin,' he muttered and Jack laughed, Ianto glared at him. 'It's not funny.' He growled, but Jack just grinned reassuringly and actually reached out and patted Ianto on the head.
'Don't you worry your pretty little head about your pretty little head.' He said condescendingly, and Ianto swatted his hand away, which only increased Jack's amusement. 'There's a little insert in there, releases chemicals that stop you from ageing.' Ianto nodded slowly whilst Jack added 'I've got summat like that myself.'
Ianto blinked, looking at the older man,
'To stop you from aging?' he asked, and Jack nodded,
'I've been at this not dying business for a long time now.' He said, 'It was a pretty nasty shock when I realised that not dying didn't include not aging – and, like you say, I didn't want to end up as a raisin so I got a chip sorted.' Ianto took this information in quietly.
'How long have you been alive?' he asked, and Jack shrugged,
'I lost count somewhere around four hundred.' He said, and he wasn't lying although Ianto could tell that four hundred years was the least of it, he let out a low whistle.
'That's a long while.' He commented, 'Is that why you kidnapped me? Because I'm gonna live a long time and you have experience in the longevity game?' he didn't believe it for a second, but he thought the question might make Jack squirm.
It did.
'Your mum jumped to that conclusion too you know.' He grumbled and Ianto stuck his tongue out.
'So what was it then?' he asked,
'Those two creepy kids with the sonic blasters,' Jack explained,
'Oh they did try to kidnap me.' Ianto agreed as he remembered the scene, 'Also, technically there were three of them.' He added and Jack rolled his eyes.
'Whatever.' He said dismissively, 'The point is, they wanted you for a Commission Subject – that's when they kidnap what they class to be 'talented individuals'' Ianto let out a long sigh.
'Boy am I popular today.' He said wistfully, and Jack chuckled. 'So basically, you've kidnapped me so no one else can? That's kind of counter productive, not that I'm complaining.' He said, grinning cheekily, and Jack rolled his eyes again.
'I am baby sitting you,' Ianto pouted, 'until I can find another Elunoir to get that damn collar out of you, and until I'm sure that weird-ass time travelling fundamentalists no longer want you for a new plaything' Jack explained testily, and Ianto frowned.
'Just to clarify,' he said, 'You are keeping me away from the crazy 'time agents' – which I am totally good with by the way.' Jack nodded, 'But I've also been given a way to stay twenty-one, basically forever and this is a bad thing?' he asked, and Jack's mood immediately darkened.
'Yes it's a bad thing.' He snapped, 'You may look like one now, but you are not a Talmara, you're not partnered with some seven hundred year vampire to hold your hand and get you through this, you're just some kid with no owner who is now stuck with me of all people.' Ianto didn't look too impressed.
'And this is a problem why?' he asked, an eyebrow raised, 'You cant die, I have over two thousand years guaranteed on the clock, and you're pretty damn good company even if rude.' Jack growled in frustration.
'You have no idea!' he spat. 'No idea what it's like to live that long! How horrible, how lonely!' Ianto scowled.
'Well I won't be lonely if I'm around will it?' Ianto demanded, his voice rising to match Jack's
'Well so far as I'm concerned, two thousand years is nothing - so that's no great help to me.' The America retorted childishly, and Ianto shoved him.
'Then I will spend two thousand years finding a way to live forever.' He yelled, and then kissed Jack, very forcefully.
Jacks mind was a jumble of confussion, and Ianto could tell he didn't want to listen.
'Listen.' Ianto said tiredly, sitting back from the older man and waggling a finger in his face. 'You're stuck with me Jack Harkness. Just deal with it.' Jack blinked, lost for words
'Oh screw it.' He said finally, and then he kissed Ianto back.
So, um *looks a little lost* that's the end of Finders Keepers.
...
Took a bloody while didn't it?
Um, I don't know if anyone is going to be happy with this ending, and really I suppose it's a begginning. And everything very much keeps on going, 'Try to Stay Alive' will be starting next week, which I hope some people stick around for - it has the Doctor in! (tenth) and if any of you have read my oneshots then you'll know that i'm most confortable (and reasonably good at) writing ten, and personally i'm really looking forward to getting stuck into a fic thats actually a story, rather than lots of setup and exposision, which is what I think the main weakness of this fic is.
But anyway, we'll come to that when we come to that ^^"
I don't actually have that much to say, all I can really say is thankyou. I have had the most lovely surprise in my readers and reviewers - particularly after the last chapter, and it's really made me so happy and much more confident, I really can't thank you enough. So have some space hugs instead.
*massive space-hugs*
In particular I thank Orion Lyonesse who has reviewed every chap without fail, with really good advice and general niceties. Shout outs also go to, well everyone really (I am so sorry but I am waay to tired right now to get your names *dies of shame*) who ever review, tracked, faved or even glanced at this fic, I really love you all. And props to my most of the time beta fey-of-forest, she has the most uncanny ability to listen to me go on and on about all sorts of rubbish.
Thanks so much.
Strictly xx
Any questions or extreme dislikes of this chap? I want to hear that as much as any good stuff, so feel free to review me a beating - it's all learning ^^"