Title: Echoes
Rating: R (for dark themes)
Characters/Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Gwen, Owen, Toshiko, 10th Doctor, Master, John Hart
Spoilers: Everything from TW 1 to CoE, DW to S4, in particular for "Cyberwoman", "Sound of the Drums/Last of the Time Lords", "Turn Left" and CoE "Day Four" and "Day Five".
Disclaimer: If I owned Jack, Ianto and everything Torchwood, I would treat them all right. Since fics like this need to be written, then it's definitely not mine and making no money from this. This is a work of love and giving Jack and Ianto the respect they deserve.
Warning: AU, Dark themes, past character deaths, torture, slash, male/male
Notes: The first chapter is in the 5 Times format. I started to write this one immediately after CoE last summer because losing Ianto is UNACCEPTABLE. I'm not saying all events in chapter one is canon - it's just my take on how they happened.
Summary: Nothing lasts forever, everything changes, even when you don't realize it's happening.
Note: There's still hope, happy and fluff in this fic, if you stick with me through it.
Thanks to thrace_adams, cjharknessgirl and milady_dragon for letting me bounce ideas off them.
My most gorgeous and brilliant beta for this chapter: milady_dragon.
The Doctor sat at a booth in a quiet section of the resort's restaurant. Ianto was spearing apart a local equivalent of octopus which was bedded on a colourful array of what could be considered vegetables simmered in a fragrant curried crème sauce. Jack had just taken a bite of what he had hoped tasted like a hamburger but did not.
He made a face and with his mouth still filled, saying, "You would think that with the large human population they would get a hamburger right." He swallowed with disgust and drank the violet liquid from the glass at his side. With his mouth now empty, he said, "When I first arrived on Earth and had my first hamburger my first thought was 'Wow this tastes like a camble burger.' It reminded me of home. And then as time went on I came to realize that burgers survived all those millennia and across space."
"Your point being?" Ianto asked before shoving vegetables into his mouth.
"My point being that hamburgers survived time and space and yet here we are and that," he pointed to the offending food item, "does not taste like a hamburger.'
"If it looks like a hamburger therefore it must be a hamburger," Ianto said with a chuckle. He reached across the table to take one of Jack's hands in his. "Honestly Jack. If you don't expect it to taste like the last burger you had back in 21st century Earth, it's actually quite good," he said having had the same thing for lunch earlier in the day.
Jack sighed, squeezing Ianto's hand. "I was hoping for a hamburger and chips just as they said on the menu."
"Are you sure you don't want to go back to Wales, Jack? Or even any other place on 21st century Earth?" Ianto asked.
"No. Not yet. I might have you back, but there still so many reminders." Jack dropped his head and added, "Especially Stephen."
Ianto got up from his seat and went over to hug Jack. The older immortal buried his face in Ianto's chest. Ianto just held Jack. He knew there were no words to ease the pain and guilt Jack felt for his grandson.
The Doctor remained amazingly silent, concentrating on meal.
After a few minutes, Jack pulled away from Ianto, wiping his hand over his face. "I'm sorry, Ianto," he said.
"Don't be. There's nothing for you to apologise for."
"Yes, there is. I'm sorry you have to stay away from your family because of me."
Ianto slid onto the seat next to Jack, causing him to slide over and away from his dinner. He put his arm around Jack's shoulder. "You know what, Jack? She'll be fine. They'll all be fine. Including Gwen and Rhys. Besides no matter how much time we spend away we still can't return any closer to the Doctor's projected insert point anyway."
"He's right, Jack," the Doctor said. "There are still things that need to be set up as a result of Ianto's death and your leaving. Never mind that Ianto's alive. You still have to let the time go for a while as if he did."
Jack simply frowned at the Doctor. Ianto knew exactly what was on Jack's mind. The same thing on Ianto's. The two immortals knew, if they asked what was so important that everyone they knew had to believe Ianto was dead, that the Doctor would not give an answer. And why did Stephen have to die? Ianto wondered about that often enough. He also wondered if one day Jack would start hating him for being spared from death while his innocent young grandson remained dead. Ianto often wondered why it had to be Jack who had killed the boy.
He did not damn Jack for choosing the path of the greater good but he wished Jack could have been spared the pain. His beautiful Jack, whom when they first met hid his loneliness behind a bright smile designed to distract and carefree flippant words while shagging anything he could. As they grew closer while Jack was never able to say 'I love you' to Ianto, he said other things that Ianto knew was his way of saying what he could not. Ianto's favourite had been a few months before the 456 fiasco had happened. They were walking home from a night out of dinner and dancing. They both were in great moods and knew it would only get better once they got back to Ianto's flat. As they crossed the road, midway Jack started to sing "Being Alive", pulling Ianto into his arms and dancing to the other side. Later that night while they lay sweaty with Ianto's head resting on Jack's chest, the older man started to softly sing the song again. It was then that Jack told him that for the first time since becoming immortal he was truly living and enjoying it, maybe even longer than that, and that it was all because of Ianto.
It was that night that was the start of a shift in their relationship which led to the awkward stage they had hit when the 456 invaded.
Given time, Ianto knew they would have passed through it soon enough, but they didn't have that time. They were past it now because of how those five days had played out and the following six months for Jack and three years for Ianto. They had time enough for passing awkward relationship stages.
There was no doubt in Ianto's mind how Jack felt about him and after giving up his mortality for the single desire of assuring Jack would never be alone again Jack knew exactly how deep Ianto's feelings were.
If only Jack was not so broken now. He was in a place that was worse than when they first met. Jack still drank too much whenever he could for Ianto's piece of mind. It wouldn't have mattered if they were on Earth. Alcohol on Earth was much weaker than in other areas of the universe; areas where Jack had grown up and frequented as a Time Agent. Jack had admitted one night a long time ago while they shared good brandy while Ianto was well on the way to a good drunk and Jack was barely buzzed that even before he became immortal when he was on Earth, it took a lot of alcohol to get him drunk.
The pretty violet drink Jack was currently draining was a very strong and potent alcohol even if it had a sweet fruity flavour. Unless they ran into the usual variety of trouble known to follow the Doctor that night, Ianto knew Jack would be passed out before the night was truly over.
Then it would be time for Ianto to have a little chat with the Doctor and see what the Time Lord had to say about some things.
As Jack ordered refills for himself and Ianto and tea for the Doctor, Ianto rested his right hand over the black leather wrapped around his left wrist and he considered the horrible truth. The Doctor had the TARDIS; he had a working Vortex Manipulator and Hart also had one. Jack's was going to be fixed once they gave the Doctor their farewells soon. Four means of going back and forth in time. Four means of saving Stephen and they did not dare. The three Time Agents were able to sense what a mess it would create. If only the Doctor had not decided to play God to pick and choose who got to live and die. If only the Doctor had found a means of bringing back Stephen too even if the child could not go back to his mother. Ianto would have attempted to kidnap Jack's daughter to bring her with them so the family would be alive and well. With the Doctor's intervention and a paradox already happening there was no way anyone trained like the Time Agents would attempt to go back again to assure Stephen survived.
Which was why as much as Ianto saw the Doctor as a friend, and even a saviour, he would always have a problem with him. Now he would have to live with what was done, and help Jack heal, no matter how long it took.
Between that and the fact that the Doctor seemed to cringe around them, Ianto knew it was time to leave soon. He glanced at the time in a digital display on a far wall. He turned and touched Jack on the shoulder. "Perhaps we should retire for a few hours?" he suggested.
The days on the world they found themselves on were long; 53 hours long. The natives were able to handle the long hours, but standard sleeping for them were 12 – 18 hours when they went to sleep at the end of a day. Jack and Ianto did not really need to sleep, however Jack's mood caused him to take naps for a few hours throughout the day.
Jack nodded. "Yeah. But I don't want to sleep just yet," he said with a slight leer. He removed Ianto's hand from his shoulder and held it between his two hands. The smile Ianto received was genuine and an improvement to Jack's mood.
Ianto leaned in to lightly kiss Jack. "I'm all for that. And then we actually try to get some sleep."
Jack laughed softly, caressing Ianto's hand with a thumb. "I always need sleep after we..."
"I'll be heading back to the TARDIS now," the Doctor interrupted, jumping up suddenly and throwing a chip on the table. "That should cover for all of us and tip. Give me a call when you're feeling sociable again."
With amusement, they watched the Doctor hurry out of the restaurant.
"So?" Ianto asked and leaned in to kiss Jack again. "Upstairs?" When Jack nodded his head, he added, "We can stop and make sure we have bar service, and not the prefabricated crap that comes with the room." He kissed along Jack's jawline. "And then after we get some sleep, I think I'm going to do some shopping and see what I can do with that little kitchenette we have."
"I love how you think, Mr. Jones." He playfully shoved Ianto to stand up. "Let's go."
Ianto got to his feet and held out his hand to pull Jack up. The older immortal was slightly unsteady on his feet, but he was sure that it would make their time upstairs more interesting instead of a hindrance.
He had a good feeling he was right when Jack latched himself against Ianto, pressing him up against the wall in the lift going up to their room. Ianto considered himself lucky that he managed for both him and Jack to still have clothes on enough to be decent by the time the lift reached their floor.
OoOoOoO
Alien sex toys, Ianto decided, are an amazing thing.
He tried to keep his mind on his task at hand, but it kept roving back to the time in their hotel room earlier in the day. Talk about needing to sleep after a robust session of sex. Hot, gritty and innovative sex. Yet, there was a tone that Ianto was able to still classify it as making love. He was certain that was Jack's intention. Whatever black mood that still hung around Jack, one thing he did not allow it to get in the way of was showing his love for Ianto. It was almost desperate the way the older man assured that Ianto knew these days, be it in words or actions. Ianto was thankful that he did have a means of distracting Jack before his partner became too lost in his depression. It gave Ianto hope that Jack could heal one day.
Heal, but never forget. Ianto had never met Jack's daughter and grandson, but he knew he would never forget Stephen and what Jack had told him about the young boy since their reunion. Jack's grandson was a hero.
That was why Ianto knew they would eventually return to Earth. Once Jack was healed and they were both ready, they would go back, and to a time not so far off from when Jack had left the Earth. He fully intended for everyone to know just how much they owe having their children still with them to one little boy's sacrifice. That included, and most probably would start with his sister. He wondered how he would let her know that he was alive after leaving her to believe he was dead for however long it would be before they returned, but he figured he had years to work that one out.
Meanwhile he had to keep his mind on food shopping as he made his way through the various stalls at the massive marketplace near the hotel they were staying in. He had tried to talk Jack into going with him, but his partner wanted to stay in their room. Most likely to brood and drink more, Ianto figured. So he devised his latest plan. He would spend the rest of the night in distracting Jack from what seemed to be his favourite pastime other than being with Ianto. It led him to make a stop at the main desk and inquire about the cottages on the outer edges of the resort and managing to get one that would be available in a few hours. At that time, they would check out of their room and take over the cottage until they figured out what they would do next. One thing Ianto was certain of was the next time they went into the TARDIS, it would be to say goodbye. They had minimal possessions, not adding very much to what they had when they first boarded the TARDIS together, which basically was whatever Ianto had provided for them, along with a few more changes of clothes and a few trinkets. It all fit into the bags they had with them in their room.
Once they were in the cottage, Ianto intended to make a meal such as what Jack had been moaning that they couldn't have. It may not be exact, but he was certain he could do better than the hotel restaurant they had eaten in. The problem with that particular establishment was they boasted authentic Earth style food. If one ate the dishes expecting something else, it would be excellent. Unfortunately Jack had his heart on a good old fashioned Earth style hamburgers, which was not what he got. Ianto had done his research on livestock on the planet and knew exactly what kind of meat he was looking for. He had done the same for the rest of the meal.
He paid for the package of ground meat that would taste close to beef. It was freshly ground once he picked his cut of meat. He had a sharp cheese that while was blue in colour, tasted just like a sharp cheddar. He had also picked up something that reminded him of goat milk cheese, which he intended to use with a salad to go along with the meal. Once he had his purchases in his carry sack, he found himself wandering through the marketplace, away from the food items.
It eventually led him to a section that was behind curtains. He grinned as he walked down the rows of stalls at the vast variety of sex toys and aids he found. While he had no problem with sex toys while back on Earth, there seemed to be a vast and unlimited selection and yet when it came down to their uses, they ended up being quite limited. Ianto knew there was more out there, because of the few items that were in the archives. If it was something Jack had knowledge on or there was enough documentation on it (usually the same thing since the reports on the few items had Jack's name on them), Jack allowed for the items to be used in the Hub once they were alone. They had actually moved a couple from the archives in the lower levels to the secure archives in Jack's office for easier access.
As Ianto strolled along, sometimes stopping to look closer, he realised that he had no idea just what a vast variety of sex toys there actually could be. Some stimulated isolated areas, some the body overall. There were settings for size, and speed and many more ways than he imagined. Some were physical, some were through the senses, and others were virtual. He saw machines and small devices. He was standing near a display of unusual (for him) devices for bondage when he heard a familiar voice in his ear.
"Fancy meeting you here, Eye Candy," John Hart said. "Is there anything I could buy for you? Of course that would mean you'll have to use it with me."
Ianto pulled away and turned to face his Companion. "John!" he warned. "Keep dreaming."
"You and Jack one day will realise exactly what you're missing," Hart said, attempting a pout.
"It doesn't work on you," Ianto said with a chuckle.
"Oh, that's not what that gorgeous creature I had last night said," came Hart's reply.
Ianto rolled his eyes. "I assume it was actually a consenting being and not a common pet."
John spread his hands out. "Does it matter?"
"To you, of course not." He clasped Hart on the shoulder. "What are you doing here?"
"Tracking you," Hart replied. "Our common time travelling friend contacted me. He said that you might be looking for options for travel."
Ianto folded his arms and frowned. "That's it then, huh? He's just as quick to finally rid of us as I suspected. Maybe more, if he contacted you."
"Hey, we're mates, the Doctor and me. You and Jack don't have exclusive rights."
"No, we don't. None of us do," Ianto replied.
Hart indicated for Ianto to follow him. Ianto picked up his carry sack and followed his former Time Agency partner back out into the light. It wasn't as light as when they had left the Doctor to go back to their room, but there were still a few more hours of light before the sun started to set. They walked along the brightly decorated stalls of various wares from merchants who got their items from around the system. Hart led them to a bench set off on the side and sat down.
Once Ianto was seated beside him, Hart looked serious. "It's not what you think with the Doctor. He's actually sad to see you both go, but when he contacted me, he said that the atmosphere between the three of you has become strained. That he doubts you and Jack are having as much fun travelling with him as you should."
Ianto nodded. "Well, we're trying. It's not that we want to leave the Doctor on his own." Ianto sighed and leaned back against the bench. "I know he's trying too. But a few weeks back something happened to me. Ever since, it's hard for him to be around Jack and me. I wondered if we branched off on our own and got together with him here and there for short times, he might one day be used to having us around without feeling like he needed to crawl out of his skin."
Hart's brows furled as he frowned. "What happened?"
"I had an accident with the TARDIS." He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "I guess it wasn't one for her. It was all planned on her part, but..." Ianto took a deep breath. "She made me immortal. Like Jack."
"What?" Hart asked, looking surprised.
"I wasn't expecting it, but when she offered it to me, I didn't hesitate. I don't know what's in store for us thousands of years on, but I do know that Jack doesn't have to be alone if he doesn't want to. There will always be me."
"You're hoping that you'll love each other forever, don't you?" Hart asked. He shook his head in amazement as Ianto blushed. "Sweet goddess, Ianto. Most people would choose immortality just to be able to live forever, but you did it for Jack."
"Immortality's not all that it's cut up to be, you know. Hell, I know what it's like to lose people before becoming immortal. I know that we'll still feel that pain of losing people we come to care about and love, but at least we'll still have each other."
"Call me crazy, but I don't doubt that. Even if I think you're crazier than I am for your reasons." Hart laughed nervously. "I guess that's why I'll always be the mate, while you and Jack will be partners in every way." He hooked an arm along the back of the bench. "I mean when you were with the Time Agency, all those years and there was no one else. You could have had me, and many others, but you waited for Jack. If that was me, I'd have gone insane from frustration. How did you do it?"
Ianto gave Hart a crooked grin. "And where did you finally approach me after stalking me for a while?" Sex toys are a wonderful thing, Ianto thought.
"Hells, Ianto. I was not going to approach you in the food section."
"Why not? You do like to eat, don't you?"
"Yes. When it's already made. Ask Jack. I can't cook for shit." He saw Ianto's face, the way the corners of his mouth turned up. "Oh bloody hell. You know already."
"I do," Ianto laughed. After they shared a chuckle, Ianto became serious. "So other than the Doctor contacting you, why are you here? I mean, do you intend to whisk us away or what?"
"Once you leave the TARDIS, you're on your own. I know you still have a working Vortex Manipulator, but without having a proper repair facilities nearby, it's not advisable to rely just on it. Even I learned my lesson. You'll need passage somewhere, I guess. Maybe eventually your own ship." Hart shrugged. "I don't know what he expected me to do. That he cares enough for you and Jack to want to have someone to give you a hand in setting up a new life says something, don't you think?"
"Yeah. It does." Ianto knew the other man was right, but there was still his other problem with the Doctor of late. He hoped that with time he would get over that. He knew they had to say goodbye to the Doctor and TARDIS, but he didn't want it to be forever.
Hart indicated the carrier sack at Ianto's feet. "I see you have plans. I'll let you get to it. You know how to get in touch with me when you and Jack are up to it." He lifted his left arm and indicated his Vortex Manipulator. "I do have a little ship. Two bunkrooms, but I'll warn you that you and Jack will be cramped."
Ianto laughed. "We're used to it actually. We could do it again in a pitch. That is, if we decide to travel with you for a while. And it will be for just a while. We plan to eventually settle somewhere, but where that is, we don't know. So we'll travel for a while and see what's out there that we like."
"I don't understand this need to settle, and I doubt Jack's doing it just to make you happy. He seemed content enough settled on that backward planet of yours. I don't know where he got that from. He always was for being on the move."
"I would guess it was the Time Agent lifestyle. If you were a field agent, you really didn't see much of one place, including the home base," Ianto ventured. "And it was great for what it was." He stood up and picked up his sack. "Well, we'll talk about it more. I'm not sure what will be best for Jack right now. All I know is that as much as he seems like he's happy because he has me, he's also still bleeding inside for his grandson. We might be up for being out and about later today. If we are, I'll contact you. If not, we'll meet up sometime tomorrow."
"Whatever is good for the two of you." Hart stood up. "Really, for what it's worth, I really do care. For both you and Jack. Whatever you need from me to help, you got it."
Ianto pulled him in a one armed hug. "Thanks. And I know you prefer more, but you are a mate, John. Hell, we were partners once. I know Jack feels the same."
"Just not as partners in all ways. Hey, don't worry. I got the picture now and I do have limits. I won't get between you. I swear." He gave Ianto a grin. "Unless one of these years..."
"Not happening, John. But if you ever stop trying, you'll worry me." He winked at the other man. "I'll see you around, John. And thanks again."
"Hey, it's what mates are for. And don't worry about me for now. I have some things I want to look into until you're ready to contact me. Tell Jack I said hello."
Ianto snorted. "Enjoy," he said with a laugh, knowing that Hart probably planned to jump a transmat to the other side of the planet and visit the pleasure palace. In fact, it wouldn't be impossible for him and Jack to go there for a day or two after they freed themselves of the Doctor. They really didn't have any idea what they would do next. Perhaps a couple of days of decadence would do Jack good, and from what Ianto had heard about it, he would probably benefit too.
He waved to John and after watching the other man walk away, headed back to the hotel.