10. Confusion
Ianto was confused. Awake and alone. The silence was deafening and he quietly called out to Jack but got no answer.
It was dark and no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see anything through the darkness.
Oh Gods, I'm blind!
He felt a sob but couldn't hear it escape. Wait. Did he hear his voice call for Jack just now?
He tried again and with horror realized that he couldn't hear his own voice.
Deaf?
Ianto felt out with his hands but no matter how far he reached he couldn't find a wall.
Wait!
He could hear something. Soft. Faint. Like a breath. No a pant. No. Not quite.
Ianto knew he was turning his head to better hear the sound and wished desperately for sight.
He strained to recognise the sound. Panting … no. Growling.
Clicking became an accompaniment as it neared and he felt a thread of fear tickle at his spine.
Something was coming. It was coming hard and fast.
Ianto turned in fear but could see no sign of the beast that approached from the darkness.
"Jack" he screamed in fear as it bore down.
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"Here, baby. I'm here" Jack tried to soothe his lover's frantic cries.
Miller joined the noise and Jack tried to pull himself from Ianto to retrieve their son from the bassinette.
"No! Don't leave me alone in the fucking dark with that thing" Ianto sobbed inconsolably as Jack left his side.
Jack froze and turned back toward Ianto, the baby forgotten.
"What?" he said in confusion.
Ianto collapsed into the pillows bereft from Jack's seeming betrayal and he curled into a ball keening softly to him-self.
These night terrors had been plaguing Ianto since his resurrection and until this morning he hadn't admitted to remembering anything.
Banging on the door alerted Jack to the others who had heard Ianto's cries and his response to the noise was to scream louder.
Miller saw this as a competition and joined in the cacophony.
Rex shouted for Jack then a couple of loud thuds were all Jack had by way of warning before Rex was barrelling into the room.
Rex had just returned from America and hadn't had time to be filled in about Ianto's little problem so being woken by screams of terror was not his favourite way to start the day.
Finding Jack naked, frozen between the bassinette and bed while Ianto was having some sort of attack on it. At least HE wore Pyjama bottoms.
"No" Ianto screamed as he raised the gun Jack had under the mattress.
"Not my baby you monster" he snarled as he squeezed.
"Yan no!" Jack shouted but the smell of gunpowder was already filling the room as Rex lay prone on the ground.
Ianto's pants slowed to sobs as he woke from his fugue.
"Jack?" he whimpered crawling toward the edge of the bed.
As Rex gasped back into existence Jack gathered Ianto into his arms with the gun swept off the bed and into Gwen's waiting hands
Rhys had Miller whose face was red and contorted with temper. Ianto held his arms out and Rhys placed his son in them with infinite care.
"This can't go on" Martha sighed. "What if he shoots someone who CAN die next time?"
Ianto froze and stared at Martha then Rex. Realising what had happened he offered Miller back to Rhys and started to push Jack away,
"It's OK Baby. No one's angry sweets" Jack tried to soothe him but Martha had struck a chord.
Jack glared at Martha and she realised her error too late. Trying to ease the situation she went to sit the other side of Ianto but he shied away from them up the bed not stopping until he head the wall.
Sobs shook his frame that Jack considered too thin as he struggled to regain control.
"Yan" Jack begged, reaching for him again.
"Take him. Take him and go. Fuck off" Ianto's anger made Jack recoil and he swore silently again as Ianto's eye narrowed. "Go on, all of you. Fuck off!"
Ianto turned his body and faced the wall. He placed his hands against the wallpaper and rested his head against it too.
Jack crawled up the wall and tried to take Ianto's hand from the wall. Ianto didn't struggle or complain but he remained rigid as Jack pulled him into his lap.
"Its OK baby, just a bad dream." Jack murmured softly "You would never hurt Miller. You would cut off your own hand before letting it cause him harm. Hell, you nearly did get it cut off protecting him"
As Jack softly spoke to him Ianto stared stoically at the wall. His body shook with slight tremors.
"Me wee mate needs a change and a bottle, don't ya Miller Man?" Rhys tactfully left the room nodding at Gwen to follow. "Uncle Rhys has your number boy-o"
Mickey stepped back from the doorway to the corridor and Rex followed, still muttering about wake up calls and PJs.
Finally Martha gave up and removed herself from the bed.
Jack ignored her touch and she reluctantly left the two men alone on the bed.
Time ticked by and Jack's soothing voice was calming Ianto in increments. Finally he turned and faced jack.
"She's right. I'm a bloody danger." He sighed.
"That was my fault." Jack reasoned "I left that gun there. I knew you were having problems"
"Problems" Ianto squeaked, then leapt from jack's lap. "PROBLEMS!"
Fuck!
Ianto looked at the new blood stain on the floor and groaned. That was not going to come out. He fell to his knees and stared at it anyway, as though he could stare it away.
Jack could only sit and watch in confusion.
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