Martha looks at the man on the other side of the screen. A good thing about working for the government is the high-tech that enables her to see him even when he's gone for weeks and weeks.
The bad thing is that when he calls, it's never to say hello.
"I'm sorry babe, can't get to the Doc so will you please tell him?"
"I'll try. He and Rose where here yesterday."
"Damn, I should have been faster... Did he talk to Jack?"
"A bit, it's still awkward though. I'll make sure he knows, don't worry!"
"I always worry about you. With the luck we're having we'll be engaged forever, whether we want to or not..."
She smiles at him, getting one in return. She would love to be there with him, she knows she could do it. But the school needs her and so far she is the only doctor (except THE Doctor) that Owen listens to, so she has to stay.
"Don't worry Micky, we'll manage. You be careful! Remember the Sontarans?"
"I won't get sneaked up on again, and we crushed their little suicide-squad! Let's worry about the Cybermen for now!"
Martha sighs and scrolls down in the info her fiance has sent her.
"Micky...?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think they might have infiltrated the school? A lot of these kids have been rejected by their own families. They are young and the new generations are becoming more and more powerful..."
"Do you suspect anyone? I thought the Doctor made sure they knew only to use their powers to help?"
"He tries, but he's away more than you are. We can only influence them so much before it becomes brainwashing."
Micky frowns. He's never really liked the Doctor, not since he sort of stole Rose from him (actually, Rose came quite willingly and Mickey was a bit of a wimp back then), but he has calmed down since he joined the special forces. He would have joined Torchwood if not for his lack of powers.
"It's his bloody institution, he should be there!"
"It's not his, it's a government facility..."
"It's a load of bollocks and you know it! It has his name on it!"
"Where?"
"Martha, what is Torchwood an anagram for?"
Martha wrinkles her brow for half a minute, then she glares at the screen.
"Don't you have anything better to do?"
He grins at her and she smiles back because she has no idea how Rose ever left him, even if Martha has had a tiny (huge) crush on the Doctor herself. Come on, who hasn't?
"I gotta go, I'm sorry babe!"
"I love you! Come home soon!"
"I will, and we'll have a proper wedding, church and all! See you soon!"
They never say goodbye. If they did, both of them fear they might never see each other again. It's irrational, but in this line of business it's better to be paranoid.
Speaking of being paranoid.
"Now then, how does one figure out if a student has been corrupted by Cybermen?"
Martha flicks though her files, but her brain hands the name over within seconds. The last student in the institute to betray the Doctor. She sighs and checks her watch. They should be done for the day now.
"Lisa Hallet."
"Jack!"
He grunts and sinks further down his chair.
"Just because you don't like her it doesn't make her a traitor. Do you have anything to back that up with?"
"My skin crawls when I see her..."
"Other then your dodgy gut feeling?"
Jack and Martha glares at each other for a while until Donna clears her throat.
"I can't imagine anyone here joining the Cybermen. Surely they must realise they are fanatics, bent on killing everyone who's not irregular."
Martha sighs and sits back. Jack is one of the few students that has ever seen the inside of the faculty office, and probably the only one who's been there on a regular basis.
"Sure, but some of them have been thrown out and abandoned by their regular families and friends. If that bitterns is feed, they might not see clearly."
Jack watches the two women talk, going over all his schoolmates in his head. He forces down his dislike for Lisa, trying to remember if anyone has been spurting Cybermen-propaganda. He keeps up to date, both with the Cybers and the Daleks, know your enemy after all. He can't take their philosophies seriously, but he remembers it so he'll recognise them if his friends should start acting upon them.
"How's miss Cooper doing?"
He looks up. Gwen has been written off the list in his mind from the beginning, she's far to focused and clever to fall for that "We are the supreme race" nonsense the Cybers are trying to provoke.
"She's doing just fine. She's more shaken about being dumped by her boyfriend than anything, but I think Owen's helping her out on that bit."
The women frown. Owen Harper has quite the reputation, he's just one barfight away from being banned from The Rift.
"Shouldn't you be helping her with that? I trust you more then I trust Owen."
He shrugs at Martha. She's the one Owen flirts with the most.
"He beat me too it I guess. Besides, I'm not any more serious then he is..."
The women shake their heads. Growing up surrounded by them and with the Doctor as role model, no wonder the boy is messed up.
"I'll keep an eye on Gwen, don't worry. And right now I can't think of anyone who'd go Cyber, but everyone knows I'm close with the Doctor so they might have been keeping it from me."
"Could you ask Jones?"
Jack shakes his head. He never asks Ianto to use his powers, he knows how much it hurts.
"No, not yet, not until we're sure there is an actual threat. He hates spying on his classmates and as his teachers you shouldn't ask him."
"Mh, true."
"You're right Jack, sorry."
He nods at them. They have to be practical, it's what they are payed to be. They aren't suppose to pay so much attention to the students well-being to begin with, the government just wants soldiers, but these women will be executed for treason rather than use these kids as guineapigs. He loves them for that.
"I'll snoop around, ask the others. We'll nip it in the bud. What was it Rickey was saying?"
"Jack...!"
"It's fun, come on!"
"You know his name, say it properly!"
"Whatever... What exactly did he say?"
Martha leans back, shaking her head in wonder. Donna is the one who tells him, even though she doesn't understand either.
"Just that The Bad Wolf is coming."
Jack feels a chill run down his spine, feels something hot, like a sunburn on his chest.
"What's the Bad Wolf?"
The women shrug.
"No clue. He said the Doctor would know."
That night Jack dreams of the sun, slowly burning him to ash. When he wakes up his heart is pounding and he knows there is something wrong in the school, he just can't see it yet.
"Damn... Life wold be much easier if Lisa just turned evil so I didn't have to think so much about it..."
Making sure to put those thoughts away before he mets Ianto, Jack gets dressed and heads down for breakfast.
The first thing he notices is the empty seat next to his friend.
"Hi Ianto, pass the coffee please. Where's the harpy?"
"The harpy is my girlfriend, call her by her name. She hasn't come down yet."
Even when being shot down, Jack can't help but to smile at his friends calm response. It's rare to see Ianto shaken by anything, he faces life with a cool air of gracefulness. It can be quite the comfort, especially if you know there's a risk your friends have turned into murdering fanatics.
"Is she sick?"
Ianto smiles, not buying Jacks attempt to smooth his previous comment over.
"It's early, I'm surprised you're up."
"I can get up early if I want too!"
"Sure you can Jack."
He can't do more then pout because Ianto picks this moment to slide a cup over the table and Jack knows what's in it. He grins and lifts it as if it were the holy grail.
"Ahh! I love you and your coffeemagic, Ianto...!"
He gets a small sigh and an eye-roll in reply but Jack doesn't care. It's quiet and calm in the dinning hall, most students won't be down for another half hour, so the two boys relish the peace while it lasts. Jack sips the hot beverage, watching Ianto read the paper. Then he thinks of his dream.
"Hey Ianto..."
"Mh... Yes?"
"Remember when we first met?"
Iantos cup stopped halfway to his mouth. He looked at the boy across the table, wondering what brought this on. Jack was usually the last one willing to talk about old times.
"Yeah... It was quite the eventful day. Why do you ask?"
"Oh nothing really. I just... had a weird dream."
"What kind of dream?"
It didn't look like nothing, Jack had looked troubled since yesterday afternoon. Well, more troubled then usual that is. He really did worry to much.
"I can't remember... Something about the sun..."
"I don't get what that has to do with the day we met. It was cloudy..."
"Yeah I remember. The Doctor made me wear my raincoat."
The Doctor. Ianto couldn't remember the last time Jack referred to him as dad. For some reason there was a twinge in his chest at that thought.
"I dunno. Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing back then, I could have really messed you up!"
Ianto smiles. When Jack does talk about that day, he always finds some backwards way to apologise, even though nothing happened.
"It wasn't the right thing and it wasn't the wrong thing to do, it was just a very Jack thing to do! And I'm fine, as you might have noticed, so I'd say job well done. Stop fretting over it now, it was ten years ago!"
Jack smiles, sipping the coffee.
"You have to stay here Jack, do you understand?"
It's the first time he's gotten to come with his new guardian on one of his missions, and it's mostly because it's an emergency and he couldn't just put the boy on a plane back to Wales by himself. Jack knows he's not supposed to even be here, so he nods very convincingly.
"Ok, I'm just going to go upstairs and see what I can do for this boy, so you stay here. It won't take long and I'm sure Mrs. Jones here can get you a biscuit or something while you wait. Maybe even a banana!"
"I don't like bananas!"
"Bananas are awesome! Always bring one to a party! Now stay here Jack."
Then he stands up and leaves. Jack glances at the woman next to him but she doesn't look like she's going to fetch him either a biscuit or a banana anytime soon. She just glances at Jack, frowns and leaves him alone in the big, lush hallway.
Jack does as he's told for a total of three minutes and forty-six seconds. That's a new record.
The Doctor bites down a grunt as the father of the house unlocks the door. He has a kind air about him, a man who works so hard for his family that he rarely sees them. Must be the mothers idea to lock the door.
"He's in here..."
They are desperate. The Jones family live in an old posh house, but it's only a facade. They are bearly scraping by and now their son has become one of those things. They are desperate for a cure. The Doctor pushes the door open and steps inside.
"You don't have to stay..."
The man nods and almost runs down the stairs. The Doctor walks into the room, towards the lonely figure.
It's a big room, hardwood floor, huge windows with thick curtains, velvet wallpapers fading with age.
In the middle, there is a chair. It's newer then anything else in the house, possibly from IKEA. On the chair is a boy, about Jacks age. His hair is dark and he's gripping the edge of the chair with fingers that are going pale from bloodloss.
"Go away..."
"Ianto? I'm the Doctor, I'm here to help you."
"No... Nothing helps, it just makes it worse. Please go away...!"
"I'm not A doctor, I'm THE Doctor. I CAN help you Ianto, but you have to let me."
He slowly walks over, hunching down in front of the shaking body. There is no bed in the room, no desk no bookshelf no books no toys, just the chair. Not even a carpet.
"Please, go away... Nothing helps just leave me alone."
"Your parents told me you can't eat anymore. Can't even drink water. You'll die soon."
"I just want it to go away... Please make it go away...!"
The Doctor wonders if he has begged his mother and father for the same thing. It must have been hard for them, not being abled to help their own child.
"I can't make it go away, it's a part of you and it will never go away. But I can help you control it. Make it so you can touch things again. Will you let me do that?"
"Don't touch me!"
He halts his hands a few inches from the boys head. Ianto hasn't moved, he's just gone tense, waiting for the pain.
"I have to touch you. Don't worry, it will be alright..."
"NO!"
The boy kicks back the chair, throwing himself desperately away and bolting for the door. The Doctor almost grabs for him but then he remembers and lets him escape. Best not to touch him yet.
Ianto runs. It's been over a month since he was outside his room and there are new impressions in the walls. Every step on the carpet sends new images through his already overloaded brain. The stairs have been rebuilt, about fifty years ago. Ianto can't remember which steps are real any more. He screams.
Jack finds a crying boy in the middle of the stair. A crying, screaming shaking boy and he does the first thing that comes to mind.
The Doctor rounds the corner just in time to see Jack sit down on the step, holding out his arms.
"No... JACK!"
Ianto sees everything. He has for years now. First it was just feelings, sudden moods that would come over him, but then it became words, images, whole memories. Not just from people, though they are easiest, but from things. Chairs and tables and books and clothes.
He tried to tell his parents, but they thought it was just his imagination, a game he played. Then, he started telling secrets. Ask questions about events he should not have known about. Talk to people who weren't there. It just got worse.
Then, he stopped eating meat. As soon as he put a pice in his mouth, he saw the poor animals whole life flash before his eyes, every feeling it ever had filled his heart. Then came the dull pull from nature, the rich memories of the soil. Then, the water started telling him of times before even man kind walked the earth.
To much for his little head. All the knowledge of the world in a little boy who just started school. He couldn't take it anymore, and neither could his parents. Now he's lost, even though he knows every road in the world by heart, and he can't remember who he is or why he's hurting.
Then, suddenly, there is a warmth around him. It's been a long time since he saw the sun shine down from the London sky, even longer since he felt it on his skin, but there it is, wrapping around him, whispering.
"Hey, don't cry. It's gonna be alright. Don't cry."
And he feels. The boy hugging him is American, he is bash and stubborn and he never listens but he cares so much. He is happy and the world is an adventure. He is sad and the past is horrible and painful, yet he smiles and wobbles Ianto back and forth, trying to calm him down.
"The Doctor will fix it, he's amazing! He can fix anything, you'll see. It'll be alright!"
He believes it. He feels Jack and his complete faith in that man in the brown suit, and suddenly Ianto can breathe again. He takes a deep breath, smelling the other boys clothes and the kids shampoo the nice woman with the blond hair washed him with yesterday.
He leans his forehead against the skinny boys shoulder, relaxing for the first time in god knows how long. The most comforting feeling, the one that wins him over, is the knowledge that even if Jack had known Ianto could see his entire heart and soul, he would still have hugged him just the same. Jack doesn't mind sharing everything he is. Ianto breathes, and stops crying.
The Doctor hold his hands on his cheeks, two fingers on either side of Iantos ears, and the mist of memories fade away. He still feels it, sees everything in the corners of his eye, but it's mostly gone.
"Wow..."
"It won't last forever, but I can take you to a school where they can teach you to control it. Would you like to go?"
He nods, still holding Jacks hand in his. He hasn't let the other boy go, not once. Jack doesn't mind, he likes holding hands. The Doctor smiles.
"You'll be going to school here in London, but if your family ever moves back to Cardiff you and Jack can go to the same one. Speaking of which, we have to go now. Say goodbye Jack."
They don't. Jack just grins.
"I forgot to tell you! I'm Jack Harkness!"
"Jones... Ianto Jones."
"I'll see you around then, Jones Ianto Jones!"
It's years until they met again, but that day would be crystal clear in their minds even then.
[AN; Please comment or I might shoot myself.]