Through the Looking Glass - Chapter Eleven (TARDIS Ianto)

Author: Cyberdigi and Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: We don't own anything here.

Author's note: Hello, everyone, and welcome back! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Ianto leaned back, gently rubbing his newly-released wrists, as he watched Jack bite his lip while Gwen continued spouting xenophobic nonsense.

It was entertaining to watch, even more so as he didn't have to deal with it at home. But it did remind him of the persistent problem of Gwen in his world.

Seeing this possibility made him wonder…but it'd be something to ponder on when he was back where he belonged.

"Harkness! Here's your food, and for future reference I am not a delivery girl!"

"Kathy! You wound me."

"I'll give you a wound; Jones, you need to reel in the leash."

Ianto smiled; it seemed Kathy was another constant, but regardless, this still wasn't his Kathy and he would never presume to act like his counterpart—well, now that he had come clean.

"I believe DI Swanson that reeling the leash is a bit difficult right now."

Kathy just looked at him with a curious look, before turning to Tosh with a questioning look.

"There's been a bit of a…situation…with some alien tech."

"Bloody Torchwood, I'd love to hear, but I just got a call I gotta run back to work."

"Ahhh, and we have to be deprived of your sparkling presence?"

"Stuff it, Harkness," Kathy replied, kissing Toshiko on the cheek. "I'll see myself out."

In the wake of Kathy's rapid departure, it felt a bit like a whirlwind had whisked through the board room.

"Well, that was a pleasure as always," Owen said. "Can we distribute the food now?"

"Of course," Tosh replied, holding the bag of food up.

Ianto pressed his lips together, waiting for the food to be distributed. Despite his own being among the first handed out, Mam had instilled manners in her boy; he would wait until everyone had their food.

After everyone had their food in front of them, he dug in, devouring half of his first sandwich in two rapid bites, before turning his attention to adding salt and vinegar to his chips and digging into them as well.

"Damn, and I thought Harkness was bad," Owen commented.

Ianto swallowed before replying, "I unfortunately missed my midmorning meal."

"You missed breakfast?" Gwen asked, almost nicely.

"Oh no, I got breakfast, Jack prepared a full English breakfast."

"How on Earth can you be this hungry then?" she asked.

He was saved from rapidly swallowing again by Owen.

"Fast metabolism, remember? I'd hazard to guess that brain of his requires a lot more energy, in other words food, than a full human."

Gwen just blinked in response.

They lapsed into silence for several minutes after that.

"So, you and your Jack?" Tosh asked.

Ianto looked at her, he knew what she meant—were he and his Jack together?

However, seeing Gwen's slightly nervous fidgeting, he wanted to drag it out.

"I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate on that."

"She means are you doing it like bunnies?" Owen answered before Toshiko could.

"Oh, well then, yes. Yes, my version of Captain Jack Harkness and myself are in a relationship."

"Oh, really?" Tosh asked.

"Toshiko, that's a foregone conclusion! After all, I'm irresistible!" Jack replied with a twinkle in his eye.

Ianto rolled his eyes as he said, "Only if you ask yourself."

"Really, I can't see you both not together in some way," Tosh said dreamily.

Gwen huffed and made a face.

"Surely not every universe has to have Jack and Ianto together. I'm sure there are some where they aren't."

"In every possibility I've seen, Jack Harkness has some form of a relationship with Ianto Jones. It does defy statistics, but it's what I've encountered. I would think there are some possibilities that this doesn't happen, as 'always' and 'never' rarely if ever occur in nature, but if they do indeed exist, they would appear to be a very small number."

"That's so sweet!" Tosh squealed.

"But you're not even human, how can that even work? At least our Ianto isn't a machine," Gwen demanded with a slight shudder.

"We've been over this, Cooper. One: TARDISes are grown and have DNA, hence life form with a semi-built housing, and two: he's also almost half-human on the DNA front, and his body itself is pretty close to human," Owen explained.

"Drop it, Gwen, after all this is over we'll have a biology lesson if we need to," Jack said, glaring at Gwen.

Gwen looked like she wanted to argue but said no more, but Ianto had a feeling this wasn't the last he'd hear on the subject.

Jack coughed.

"I never really believed in the whole 'soul mates' idea, until I met my Ianto. Please don't take it the wrong way, but I do really want to get him back soon."

Ianto nodded. "I understand, I want to get back to my Jack as well, I don't think I've ever felt this far from him even during...when he was with the Doctor."

He did not know how much this team knew about Jack's travels, or indeed how similar it was to his own partner's experience, so he decided vagueness was the best solution.

"How long have you been together?" Tosh asked.

Ianto smiled warmly, thinking of his partner and their long ago meeting.

"I'm pleased to say we have been involved for 87 years."

He decided not to elaborate more at the moment as he took in this team's reactions.

Tosh was doing a splendid impression of a fish, as Jack whistled and Gwen rolled her eyes.

All the while, Owen cursed.

"Jesus Christ, Tea Boy, just how old are you?"

"One hundred and seven, I was born August 19, 1900. I always knew one day I would find him and at the very least give him Mother's message; though I suspect she hoped we'd become more. It was just a few months after our meeting in June 1920 we became lovers. The first 25 years are a bit complicated, but we both count them as we were together considerably more than we were apart."

There was silence for a moment as the entire team just stared at him, though there was a hint of something in Jack's eyes.

Jack coughed.

"So, tell us about your team."

It would seem Jack did not want that particular vein of conversation to continue, at least not in front of the team.

"What would you like to know?"

"Well, how about who's on it? How long you've been with Torchwood?"

"I've been with Torchwood since 1950. I was conscripted, not unlike my Jack, and I would imagine yourself, were. Jack and I took, and do mean took, control of Torchwood 3 in 1970, although we did allow Hartman to think she had control for a few years through Alex Hopkins in the 90s.

"As for our current team, it's not unlike yours in many ways. First, we have our leader, Captain Jack Harkness, and myself, as the second in command. Then we have our doctor, Doctor Owen Harper, and our technical analyst and genius, Toshiko Sato. That's the official team as far as the roster."

"What about me?" Gwen asked.

At the same time Jack asked, "You operate with just four?"

"It's a bit of a stretch sometimes, but we manage and we do have people we call on to help, Allies, as we call them. They are mostly people we've known since their childhood and we trust them completely."

Ianto struggled for a moment, trying to think of a nice way to describe the Gwen Cooper of his world.

"The Gwen Cooper of my universe is…incompatible with our work."

Gwen opened her mouth to ask something else but was cut off by Jack.

"Allies?"

"Most of them are children of former Torchwood operatives. We made it a point to help with the children of our operatives, including after those operatives retired, or…" He paused for an instant. "The children were allowed to keep their memories, for various reasons; however, they've all proved trustworthy and willing to help in whatever capacity they can. Without a doubt our most helpful is Rhys Williams."

"Rhys?!" Jack asked, eyebrows shooting to his hairline.

At the same time Gwen screeched, "My Rhys?"

Ianto rubbed his finger in his ear after the screeching.

"Yes, your fiancé, Rhys Williams. He's very resourceful and loyal. We'd offer him a full place on the team, but he's said he'd rather help us from the outside, and it has been very useful."

As Gwen sputtered and Tosh and Owen looked surprised, Jack looked like he was pondering this information.

"That's impossible, there's no way my Rhys could handle Torchwood!"

Ianto glared at her; he had known Rhys a majority of the man's life, and Ianto trusted him, and most of all, Rhys had more than earned that trust.

"Maybe your Rhys is different in my world," he paused as he watched her relax, reassured in her knowledge that she was right. "However, on the other hand, maybe you don't know your Rhys as well as you think you do."

Jack chose then to interrupt.

"As enlightening as this is, we want to get the Iantos back where they belong. Tosh, Ianto, if you could see what you can find?"

"Right, Jack."

With that, lunch was over.

Ianto attempted to inhale the remainder of his chips as Tosh stood to leave; conversation was great, except when one forgot to finish his food and wasn't done when it ended.

Tosh smiled.

"Go ahead and finish; I'll just go check on those readings I got earlier, since we have an idea what they are now."

Ianto nodded.

"Just give me ten minutes and I'll be down."

In reality, it took him less as he was still inhaling his food.

As he stood to leave, he turned to find Gwen behind him.

"I don't know how you managed it, but you won't fool me like you've fooled the others."

"Oh? And what is it that you think I've fooled them about?"

"I don't trust you, you Iantos are all the same: inhuman and not to be trusted."

Her eyes hardened even more.

"You've corrupted poor Rhys, and Jack has a blind spot for anyone named Ianto. But that alternate version of me wasn't fooled; did she save Jack, show him the truth? Showed him real love? Who he should trust? That's why she's incompatible to your Torchwood, she wouldn't cater to you. Well, I won't, just like she didn't."

Ianto could only stare at her for a moment, not sure whether to laugh or cry. This was just one more thing in an unbelievable, stressful day.

"You…you self-righteous…narrow-minded…cow! Are you so blinded by yourself you can't even think—no, that's not right—so blinded with your own view of the world? I don't even know where to begin with that idiotic dribble. I don't want to be here, as interesting as it could be under different circumstances, I want to be home with my partner, Jack Harkness, the one I've loved for longer than your parents have been alive, child!

"Now, as for my version of yourself—oh, you two are alike, make no mistake. Just not how you seem to think. You both are so sure you are right, that your way is the right way, regardless of how others might be more experienced, know more; as far as you are concerned you are right, except you are wrong. We met Gwen Elizabeth Cooper when she was a child and she decided she was in love with Jack, that they were soul mates, and she keeps coming back no matter how many times we retcon her, oh, no, she doesn't remember, it's just pure dumb luck, because all she does is bring trouble and rants about her soul mate and other nonsense.

"Oh, and don't think that I'm making things up, because neither you nor your counterpart could be Jack's soul mate. Why? Because you don't know him. You see a big superhero who can do no wrong; you don't see a man who is hurt and has hidden darkness. Jack Harkness has not always been a good man, and that still haunts him, both versions of him. You love an ideal, and that does not make a real, loving relationship.

"But you don't understand love; after all, you're marrying a man because you think no one else would have you. The Rhys Williams I know is everything I described earlier and more, but you don't see that, all you see is a sweet man who loves you and cooks for you—oh, and puts up with your antics. Well, most of you antics, he wouldn't put up with your affairs, but that's right, you are so self-centered you only confessed because you drugged him with Retcon and he wouldn't remember. You didn't do it because you felt like you were wrong, but because you wanted forgiveness with no consequences.

"And you think that you deserve a man like Jack Harkness? That you know what's best for the world? You are nothing but a child, a child who doesn't understand the world, let alone real grown up love."

He didn't even give her a chance to respond, he pushed past her.

Once outside the room, Ianto took a moment to collect himself before heading to Toshiko's station, paying no attention to the eyes on him; watching Ianto from the shadows shaking his head.

Ianto took a couple deep, calming breaths as he approached this world's Toshiko's station.

He had lost his control with this Gwen, and losing control was the last thing he wanted to do in this time and place.

But that control was just barely being held together by sheer will already; he felt utterly lost, and Gwen's prodding was just the last straw, at least for now. It had been a quick fix to his fraying nerves, but it was just a quick release in a mounting pressure pot, and he knew sooner or later it would be too much.

He could only hope that the release would come when he was back home in the arms of his partner.

"I have more scans of the particles and energies I mentioned, but I'm afraid I don't have any references to compare them to," Tosh said as he stood just behind her shoulder.

"Let me take a look."

She shifted slightly to give him a better view and handed him the keyboard to navigate through the data.

He quickly shifted through the available scans.

"Definitely void 'stuff,' to quote the ever eloquent Doctor."

He noticed her slight grimace again, but thought better of asking, at least for the moment.

"Well, that at least confirms some of our suspicions, but it doesn't tell us how it works. Let me see if I can get this side open, it has grooves like it might be an openable panel."

Ianto watched for a few minutes as she worked with opening the side panel.

"So, how long have you and Kathy been involved?"

Tosh glanced back at him before resuming her work.

"Depends on if you count the time in the paradox or not."

Ianto nodded in understanding.

"I see, that year did happen as well; and apparently, you remember. Does the rest of the team remember as well?"

"Except Gwen; Jack and Ianto decided it was best not to tell her, let her keep her innocence."

Ianto nodded again; he understood the reasoning, he and his own partner had debated not telling his team about that year, but ultimately they had decided to tell Tosh and Owen.

"I can understand the sentiment, there are times that I wish I could scrub that year from my memory, unpleasant would be an understatement, but at least it ended with relatively few problems."

He frowned as he thought of the ending; it was relatively problem free, even if the Doctor had proved he could be the most infuriating being in existence…and he lived with Jack Harkness, that was saying something.

However, he noticed Toshiko was mirroring his frown with a more severe one.

Had theirs ended differently? Ianto looked at that between-time, and was confused; it was indeed very similar to his, although the Doctor was a bit more…focused on his goal. That might be because his counterpart and the others had denied him what he wanted as opposed to Lucy Saxon just taking it away. Definitely not the Doctor's best moment.

"I take it your ending was not what you hoped for?"

"Oh, it was insofar as it ended, but it wouldn't have had to go that far if the Doctor hadn't been so selfish and cared about the rest of us."

"I see, that's why you're angry, and don't trust me."

Tosh looked at him, surprised.

"I don't think you're here to do harm; but you're connected to him and you don't know what he did."

"Oh, I have a fairly good idea; the Doctor is fairly consistent between the dimensions. He had some cockamamie plan that made no sense and didn't really fix much and then wanted to take the Master with him to live in peace and love."

Toshiko blinked at him.

"Well, yes, basically. If he had just stopped him to begin with the whole thing wouldn't have happened, and then if he wasn't an arsehole, who doesn't care about anything but himself...How can you not be mad at him?"

"Oh, I am, trust me, although not exactly for the reason you are, but he still is and always will be…family, for lack of a better description."

Ianto paused, thinking for a moment, before continuing.

"I won't tell you not to be angry, because he did mess up and hurt people, but you saw him in one fleeting moment in a nearly thousand-year existence; I don't think it's fair to judge him solely on those twenty minutes. Especially a timelord who literally reinvents himself throughout his life."

Tosh looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I won't say he wasn't unthinking or an arsehole at the time. But any being that has saved the Earth and the Universe as much as he has is not uncaring, or even wholly unthinking. Since the time war in particular his latest regenerations have had a problem with their zoom."

"Zoom?"

"His Ninth regeneration was too focused on the big picture much of the time; 'everyone lives,' he said once, but neglected to notice that it was because someone took the bomb and would be blown up himself; he was too zoomed out. Now the Tenth regeneration, the one you dealt with during the year—he's become too focused on the smaller parts of the picture in general. Oh, he still saves the world, but he's focused on himself and the specific people; he's too zoomed in.

"I haven't and have no intention of dealing with Ten, however, I would hazard to guess that he didn't want to be alone anymore. For all the Master's insanity, he was a childhood friend to the Doctor, and his last link to his people. And he was so focused on having that connection back, maybe finding a way to make the Master not so insane, that much of what he would normally consider was forgotten.

"Feeling alone can cause an individual to do strange things…timelords are no different. Make no mistake, he has issues that last through all the regenerations, leaving Companions behind being one; but it's not out of malice, he just doesn't want them to leave him. I have every hope that one day he'll realize that he has a lot of people who care about him, despite how he might have treated them. His next regeneration, from Jack's one interaction with him, seems much better, more aware; he even apologized to my Jack for what he had done."

"So if you're not angry about that, why are you angry with him?"

"I'm more hurt by what was done to Jack that year; however, I understand why it was necessary, as does my Jack. And for all his plan didn't actually accomplish anything, he did give Jack a suitable distraction so he could end the paradox, and as I said before, I understand to a point why he wanted to save the Master. What makes me mad is that after everything the Master did to her, he wanted to bring him on my Mother to live. Compound that with all the abuse my partner suffered just for him and his nonchalant attitude about it, that's the root of my anger. But I won't judge those actions on a future regeneration; and for all of this regeneration's faults, he is still the Doctor, still the same being that has saved us time and again; but I can acknowledge that and still be angry with him."

Tosh looked at him contemplatively.

"I haven't really thought of it that way, and maybe there is truth there; but I'm not sure I care."

Ianto was about to answer when he remembered something he saw earlier.

"And that's perfectly fine and acceptable, I'd be more surprised if you weren't. Ten is a bit of a bastard when it comes to not getting his way, and there's every possibility he could unfortunately do more to deserve that anger. But that's not all he is, especially outside of this regeneration."

At that moment, the panel popped open and both of them peered inside.

"There's a set of dials, maybe like an address?" Tosh pondered.

"I'd say that's reasonable, it'd make sense there'd be a way to set the destination, but might I request you not touch it, as I'd like to get home and not yet another alternate reality?"

"I wasn't planning to, but it looks like it's a moot point. The dials appear to be locked in place; maybe once it's activated it locks the location until the person it switched is back?"

"That sounds plausible, if untestable at the moment."

Looking at the readings from the scanner, Ianto continued.

"It looks like it's still active, so maybe the switch was designed with a return function—provided it's still working."

Tosh looked at the scans as well.

"I'm not seeing anything to tell us how to initiate the return, but everything seems to be centered around the button; perhaps pressing it again would activate the return switch."

"Or it could deactivate the connection."

"I'm not seeing anything that indicates a power down could happen; we might just have to take a chance."

"Nothing ventured, I suppose."

Slowly, Ianto reached out and pressed the button and …nothing.