Chapter 28

The camera that was set up to monitor activity in the cells stopped in its arc from one end of the corridor to the other, coming to focus on the centre cell occupied by a snoring weevil. John couldn't be arsed setting up a loop of himself pretending to sleep, so instead set up the CCTV to zoom in on the noisy beast in the cell next to his.

As he used the universal remote control to unlock the door to his cell, he hesitated, he could almost hear the chorus from the saner reaches of his brain urging him to leave Gray to face the music and to just get the hell out of there, but he couldn't resist one last look. That was his next mistake in a long line of errors. The figure inside looked pathetic, his blood spattered, quilted jacket still hanging off one arm where Jack had ripped it away to deal with the bullet wound inflicted by the Torchwood medic. John wondered what Jack would do with the kid. He was more or less certain that even if Jack was still the ruthless bastard he'd known in the past, he wouldn't be able to kill or harm his own brother. So it wouldn't hurt to leave him in his cell and bugger off. He couldn't give a toss what the little shit chose to tell Jack, the situation between them was now irredeemable. Then there was a tiny, miniscule squeak from his conscience informing him that it would be totally irresponsible to release Gray, that he was dangerously unstable and could not be trusted. John never had paid much attention to his conscience, it was a party-pooper.

Standing on the other side of the door, Gray shook his head slowly as he surveyed the bruised and battered face of John and laughed mirthlessly.

"So that's how my brother expresses his gratitude to you for saving his beloved companions? Beats the crap out of you and throws you in a cell. I bet you're glad you decided to reunite him with his lover now."

Gray pointed at John's face. The split lip, black eye and grazed forehead did nothing to refute his assertions. John hated being laughed at or ridiculed and all of a sudden it didn't matter that in the past he and Jack would have imparted worse injuries on each other after a night of drunken, rough sex.

"It wasn't just him," John growled. They had all turned on him, each and every one of the bastards had rejected him and his attempts to make things right.

"And you're just going to let them get away with that? You do know he'll never want you again – no matter what you do. Hell, he can't even bear to look at you." Gray was now pressed up close to the door, speaking quietly as he taunted John.

"I don't care. All I want to do is get out of here – I don't give a shit about anything else." However, the seeds of doubt had not only been sown, they'd germinated and were rapidly sending down roots into the vestiges of John's soul. Could he really let this ultimate degradation go unchallenged, unanswered?

"Come on, get me out of here and we'll make him pay. It's not as if he can be permanently killed is it?"

John wavered for a fraction of a second, just enough time for his vindictive side to take hold of the reins and steer him on a course that could only lead to tragedy.


"Where d'you think you're going?" Jack mumbled as he reached out to prevent Ianto from slipping out of the bed.

Ianto sighed as he looked over his shoulder. Jack's arm was pinning him down and the expression on his face also made it clear that he wasn't going to let him out of his sight without a valid reason. Much as he would have liked to crawl back under the covers and take comfort in the warmth and strength of Jack's body, there was work to do, issues to be tackled and he'd rather to do so from behind the safety of a suit. He was uncomfortably aware of the raw nerves, painful memories that had nothing to do with his physical condition, and wanted to keep them protected from the rest of the team. Confessing to Jack had been hard enough and there was still more that he needed to tell him, matters that would have to wait until the time was right. It had been evident that Jack knew there was more, but he was giving him space and for that Ianto was grateful.

"I was thinking that maybe I could get a shower and find some clothes, if that's alright?"

"What if I like you all mussed up… and naked… and here in my bed?" Jack wrapped an arm around Ianto's waist and pressed a series of kisses down his spine as he teased him.

"Oh God, Jack. You wouldn't believe how much I've missed this." Ianto closed his eyes and rolled over onto his back allowing Jack to tenderly lavish him with the attention his body had craved for months. Despite the extreme provocation, however, he steeled himself once more and sat up, noting the pout on Jack's lips as their journey south had been prematurely terminated.

"I'd love to stay here all day, more than you could possibly imagine, but the others will be back within the hour and I'd like to be less… sticky. And dressed. I'd particularly like to be wearing more than a silly smile when I next see Owen, otherwise he'll refuse to let me have any more of the good drugs." Ianto leaned over to plant a lingering kiss on Jack's mouth and then swung his legs over the edge of the bed, getting up quickly before his own body persuaded him otherwise.

Jack smiled as he released his grip, only for the frown to return as he watched his lover make his way towards the ladder. He sat up quickly as he realised that Ianto was about to leave.

"Hey, you can shower down here. I've got clothes you can borrow-"

"No offence, Jack, but I'd really like to wear my own clothes." Ianto looked wistful as he wondered what had become of his favourite suit. "I've missed them."

"Of course. You gonna be OK?" Jack slowly appraised the lean physique of the naked man that stood there, unselfconsciously leaning against the ladder that led up into his office. Slimmer, wirier maybe, but still quintessentially Ianto, right down to the way he had one hand propped on his hip, how he always did when he was considering something carefully.

"Eventually…" Ianto couldn't lie to Jack and say he'd be fine, because he knew he wouldn't be, not for a while. "I just need to work on getting my head sorted."

"Give yourself time. Don't try to come to terms with everything at once. Trust me on that." Jack knew that he was giving Ianto advice that he ought to take on board himself and probably wouldn't. "Join me for breakfast in... say twenty minutes?"

"Make it thirty. I'm going to try and tackle this." Ianto rubbed a hand over the straggly beard on his chin.

Jack nodded and resisted the temptation to leap out of bed and pull Ianto into a fiercely possessive embrace. He wanted so much to protect him, yet at the same time recognised the fact that he had to work through this and deal with it on his own terms.

Ianto turned and, stretching up, took hold of the rung of the ladder that was just above his head. However, just as he was about to haul himself away from the warmth and comfort in Jack's bed, its occupant called out to him.

"Hey! You really gonna walk around like that?" Jack raised his eyebrows in mock horror as he pointed at one part of Ianto's anatomy that was begging for attention.

"What, naked?" Ianto glared at Jack meaningfully. "There's no-one else around… yet. And I'm sure I can rely on you to copy and delete any footage later, can't I?"

"You can bet on it."

With that, Ianto made a show of climbing slowly up the ladder, giving Jack a splendid view of supple limbs, strong thighs and a gorgeous arse. In other circumstances Jack would be dragging him back down that ladder so fast his feet wouldn't touch the ground. Either that or racing after him. But, sadly, Ianto had been right, there was work to do. Sharing a shower wouldn't help matters and he had a feeling that Ianto needed some time alone and that was something they always respected in each other. It was one of the things he truly loved about Ianto, the fact that he understood the importance of personal space and solitude, something that Gwen had continually failed to grasp.

Jack sighed as he looked at his watch, all too soon Gwen and the others would be back in, and then it would be time for some serious discussions and decisions regarding the future of the two men languishing in the cells. Even though one was his younger brother and the other an ex-lover, they'd been hell bent on destroying what transitory happiness he'd found for himself, which meant he felt no guilt at leaving them locked away for the time being. For some reason the universe hated him, choosing this moment, in what was likely to be an immeasurably long existence, to have his past collide with the present in a way that could only lead to mutually assured destruction. Neither could exist alongside the other. He had options of course, all of them requiring sacrifice. He couldn't appoint himself judge and executioner of either man that he'd once loved, but then again he couldn't allow them to stay here and threaten the lives of those he was devoted to now. There were few alternatives open to him.

Jack picked up the pillow on which Ianto had eventually fallen asleep, brought it close to his face and deeply inhaled the scent of his lover. How the hell could he resolve this mess without causing him even more heartache and pain?