Summary: Okay I know, I'm an evil person. How dare I be gone so long without another chapter post like I promised. I wish I could come up with a better excuse besides being busy, not having enough funds to cover the internet bill until today. But luckily I am back baby and yes, it is with a vengeance. I hope you guys aren't too mad at me. Anyways you've waited long enough so I'm going to stop talking now and let you read. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own this show because if I did Torchwood would have never killed off Ianto or come to America. Just saying.
Author's Note: I am pleased to announce that this fic from here on out will be beta'd by the lovely jerseybelle and Marley who have agreed to take time out of their busy schedule to fix all my mistakes. You guys are totally awesome and I am so glad for the help.
Running From The Past To Embrace The Future
Chapter Twelve
Six days had passed since the second body had been discovered in an alley way and Ianto's relationship with his teammates was on edge. It started with Suzie who was now being mean, snappish, and watching his every move. Somewhere down the line she had gotten to Owen who had taken to watching him as well and only speaking to him whenever he brought the doctor coffee and even then Owen's dialect consisted of a snarling scowl and a very mumbled thanks. Tosh seemed to be her usual self, too wrapped up in her computers to notice what was going on around her and Jack was being Jack.
Finally Ianto couldn't take anymore and he slipped into Jack's office when Suzie disappeared somewhere. Ianto desperately hoped it was to leave for the day. She did have every Wednesday off and today was Wednesday. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to Jack's desk. "Jack we need to talk."
Jack looked up from what he was doing and smiled. He didn't waste any time pushing the papers to the side. "Okay."
"But not here. Maybe down in your room."
He could feel the tension coming off Ianto's body and floating through the room. "Sure," was all he said as he got up from his chair and made his way out of the door.
Ianto followed him, immune to the looks he was receiving from both Owen and Tosh who probably assumed that he and Jack were about to do something pertaining to sex. At the moment he didn't care what they thought; his only concern was voicing his concerns to Jack.
He remained silent as he climbed the ladder into Jack's room. Once his feet hit the floor he let out a heavy sigh and turned around to face Jack who was sitting patiently on the bed.
"Ianto, what's all this about?"
"It's about Suzie and the glove," he replied nervously. "I think there's something going on with her."
Jack's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Ianto, where is this coming from?"
"Coming from?" scoffed Ianto, shaking his head. "It's been there since the moment she told me about that glove. Jack, she's become obsessed with it, always wanting to experiment on the bodies in the street and in the morgue. Those people have been through enough, they shouldn't have to come back only to be forced into darkness again. It isn't right. They deserve to be respected."
"But we don't have a choice. If we don't do what we do then innocent lives could be lost."
Ianto gave Jack a slight nod. "I understand that she wants to know everything there is to know about the glove under the guise that she could save lives in the future but at what cost? That glove feeds off Suzie, but who's to say that she's not feeding off of it."
"Ianto," Jack sighed as he stood up and placed a concerned hand on Ianto's arm. "Maybe you should sit down and really think about what you're saying to me."
"I know what you're thinking," hissed Ianto, pulling away from Jack. "You think I'm acting like this because of what I went through at Canary Wharf. Well you're wrong," he spat. "I'm acting like this because for some reason no one else can see the darkness in her eyes every time she brings another person back to life. She's starting to crave the control and power the glove gives her and it's only a matter of time before she becomes completely corrupted."
"Ianto, please be reasonable. I've known Suzie for seven years; she's my second in command and has been nothing but a remarkable asset to this team and organization."
Ianto looked at Jack as he took a step back away from him. He couldn't believe that Jack didn't believe. After all the lectures he had gave about opening up his heart and learning to trust, Jack was the one who was doing neither. It was enough to break Ianto's heart all over again. "Why can't you just trust me?" he asked somberly, shaking his head sadly.
"I do trust you."
"Really, because it seems like you don't. You haven't even told me anything about your past, where you're from. And it isn't fair because I've told you everything about me." Taking a deep breath, Ianto straightened his tie the best he could with trembling fingers and gave Jack a nod. "I think it's best if I go," he whispered.
Jack could feel his heart beating furiously inside his chest and knew he had to say something or risk losing Ianto forever. That was something he was in no way near ready for. "I can't die," Jack blurted out suddenly when Ianto turned towards the ladder and grasped it.
Ianto grip remained on the ladder but he did turn his head in Jack's direction. "What?"
"I can't die," repeated Jack anxiously. "Well I can die I just don't stay dead. Something happened to me a long time ago while I was traveling with the Doctor."
By now Ianto had removed his hands away from the ladder but he made no attempt to move closer to Jack. "You've traveled with the Doctor? But I thought he was an enemy of Torchwood.
Jack nodded. "He was," he stated, slipping one hand behind his neck. "To Torchwood One, but I always knew the truth. The Doctor protects the Earth from dangers they don't know about."
"I know," replied Ianto softly. "He was there during the battle with the Cyberman and Daleks. I saw him running down one of the corridors with a blond woman before everything went to hell."
"Her name was Rose. She died in the battle as well." Jack stayed quiet for a moment as he remembered Rose and how much she meant to him before speaking again. "Anyway, back to the not dying thing," he replied as he sat down on his bed. "You see, I met the Doctor a long time ago when he and Rose were traveling together and I was passing the time as a conman."
Ianto took a seat next to Jack. "You were a conman?" he asked, surprised by the confession.
Jack grinned. "Yeah. Had to do something after running away from the Time Agency."
"Time Agency. I am so very confused."
"You wanted to know about my past."
Ianto nodded and smirked slightly. "You are right about that. Please continue."
So Jack did. "At first the Doctor was leery of me, unsure if he could trust a conman on the run but ultimately the three of us became fast friends. The Doctor, me and Rose, and if I'm being honest then I should tell you that I had a little crush on both of them."
"Of course you did," snickered Ianto, use to Jack's very active avant garde imagination.
Jack rolled his eyes but smiled. "Anyway, one day we were attacked by the Daleks on what they called the Game Station on Satellite Five and I was killed. Rose, bless her heart did something, brought me back and since then I have died so many times I lost count."
"That would explain Torchwood One's record of you," nodded Ianto, in complete understanding. "Why you have a file that dates back all the way to WWII but you don't look a day over thirty."
"I've been around for a lot longer than that," Jack smiled sadly. "When I first realized what had happened, I tried to use my vortex manipulator to jump to the 21st century as a way to find the Doctor."
"What happened to the Doctor?" asked Ianto.
Jack shrugged. "He left me there, accidentally or on purpose, I have no idea which, but I was alone for a long time. I needed to find him but I messed up, got the dates wrong and landed in 1869 instead of 1999. I tried to fix my mistake but my manipulator had burnt out and I had nothing to fix it with. I had no choice but to stay and wait."
"What did you do during that time?" Ianto felt like a nuisance for asking Jack so many questions but he needed to know about the man he was taking to bed every night. If only to make their connection stronger.
"Drank heavily and ranted about the Doctor. My talk about him was the reason I was discovered by Torchwood. At first all they wanted was information about the Doctor but after being restrained using various methods they then discovered I couldn't die."
Reaching over he grabbed Jack's hand and held it in his own. "Oh, Jack."
"And suddenly I became a commodity for Torchwood Three," continued Jack. "I mean, why send normal people into battle when you could send in a man who couldn't die." He paused for a moment, lying down on his back and bringing Ianto down with him. "Back then I guess I really didn't care," he began again. "They paid me for my time and I got knowledge on the Doctor's whereabouts when he was spotted again. I found both to be a very expressive advantage."
"But they used you," whispered Ianto as he lay against Jack's chest.
Jack could only nod in agreement. "They did, but eventually they died and I got to keep my secret again. It hasn't been easy, getting hurt in the field only to convince your team members or fellow soldiers that they didn't see what they thought they saw."
"Must have been hard."
"Very, but I think I've done a very good job at seeing as how you're the only one who knows."
"What?" Ianto gasped, raising his head slightly. "You can't be serious." Jack didn't do anything but smile softly at Ianto. "But Suzie, Owen, Tosh, they all have years on me and you're saying they don't know." When Jack shook his head and continued to smile, Ianto finally let the confession sink in. "Then why are you telling me?"
"Because I trust you," replied Jack as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Reaching up, he gently placed cupped Ianto's cheek with his hands and peered into his eyes. "Ianto, one day I'm hoping to find the Doctor and I'm gonna ask him if he can fix me because I don't want to want to live forever and keep losing everyone I care about. And when that day comes I'm going to need you to trust me."
"Okay," was Ianto's honest response, leaning down and kissing Jack softly on the lips. "I trust you," he stated when they pulled apart.
"Good," smiled Jack as Ianto resumed his spot back on his chest. "But in the meantime I am going to keep an eye on Suzie. I still believe that you're wrong about her but I trust your instincts and believe that they're worth listening to. If she is hiding something then I will deal with her accordingly."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The burden lifted, Ianto let out a content sigh and Jack ran his fingers through his hair. "Jack."
"Yeah," answered Jack, pausing briefly.
"I really hope I'm wrong about Suzie," Ianto replied genuinely, looking up at Jack who smiled back at him.
"Me too."
Suzie cursed silently as she replayed the conversation over in her head. She had only caught the last end of it, hearing Jack say that he would keep an eye out on her. For the first part of the conversation the bug she had placed in the room had fizzled out for some unknown reason but she had still heard enough. She knew it was a good idea to place listening devices in Jack's room the moment he let on that he and Ianto were together but Suzie didn't worry about it much. Jack had been her boss, lover, and friend first. Surely he wouldn't be easily swayed by Ianto's accusations but she had once again been proven wrong.
Now she knew that she would have another pair of eyes on her, watching her, making it harder for her to accomplish what she set out to do. That's when she came to the conclusion that she had to get Ianto out of the way and the only way she could do that was death. Ianto's death.
Yay there was some fluff, a little angst, and a whole lotta drama coming from Suzie. Don't worry, she's gonna get worse so Ianto better watch his back. Seriously. Thanks for reading and until next time,
Life is what you make it so make it worth while,
LadyCizzle
