Author's Notes: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I appreciate it enormously. Thanks also to Prothrombintime for always finding the time to read my ramblings, and for invaluable suggestions and encouragement. Enjoy the new chapter! *ducks for cover*


Chapter Twenty-Nine

November 12th, 2004 (continued)

"Oh, yeah! Loving that office-y feel!" Jack announced as they entered the large open-plan office space, looking around with apparent glee. "I always get excited in these places. To me, they're exotic." He grinned at Ianto and winked. "Office romances... photocopying your butt... Maybe not your butt, although since we're here..."

Ianto rolled his eyes, partly amused and partly frustrated. He was tired and irritable, and he wanted the long, arduous night to be over. He especially wanted John Hart permanently gone from their lives, and the sooner the better. Hart was a compulsive liar, evidenced by the small arsenal of weapons they'd confiscated from him after they'd returned to the Hub, and the man had no sense of propriety or boundaries. Ianto didn't like the way John looked at him, like he was a plaything whose existence was solely for his amusement. He liked the way John looked at Jack even less. His only comfort was that the attraction seemed to be entirely one-sided.

They'd run a citywide scan, finding three locations where minor surges in Rift energy had occurred several hours earlier. John had wanted them to split up and take one location each, but Jack had adamantly vetoed the plan, probably on principle alone, Ianto suspected. Instead, they'd dropped John off at the first location near the docks, then proceeded to the second location – Stadium House, a seventeen-storey tall office building at the centre of the city. The plan was to retrieve the canister, then proceed to the third location – a warehouse to the city's north – and collect John on the way back to the Hub, all three canisters in hand and contained. Ianto would have preferred to deposit the former Time Agent in one of the Hub's inhospitable holding cells, but he'd conceded to Jack's judgement on how to best handle the situation.

He looked down at his scanner, growling under his breath when it stubbornly refused to narrow down the location of the canister. Looking dejectedly around the vast, cluttered office, he wondered where to begin their search. "The Rift was active at these coordinates two-hundred feet above ground. That means this floor or the roof," he stated, voicing his thoughts aloud.

"Ianto, come over here," Jack said quietly.

Ianto glanced over to where Jack was leaning against a nearby wall, almost hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit space. "Jack, we don't have time..."

"Just for a minute," Jack said, his tone insistent.

Ianto sighed and pocketed his scanner, then made his way over to the other man. "Jack..."

Anything else he might have said was cut off as Jack grasped his hips and pulled him close, capturing his mouth in a slow, sensuous kiss. Ianto's resistance quickly weakened and he parted his lips, welcoming Jack's exploratory tongue and teasing it with his own. Sliding his hands up Jack's arms and around his neck, he tangled his fingers in Jack's thick hair, pushing him back against the wall. He pressed the full length of their bodies together, deepening the kiss. It rapidly became demanding and passionate, almost desperate, and he realised Jack was letting him dominate and take the lead... that Jack was allowing him to stake his claim and didn't seem to mind in the least. The startling revelation sent a fierce surge of arousal coursing through him. Grinding his hips against Jack's, he plundered the other man's mouth relentlessly, relishing the wanton groan he was rewarded in response.

A minute or so passed and he knew they had to stop before the tenuous remnants of his self-control shattered. Jack could be devilishly persuasive, and he doubted it would take much encouragement for him to become a willing participant in whatever lewd office fantasies the older man's mind had conjured up. Summoning all the willpower he possessed, he swiped his tongue across Jack's lips one more time and broke off their kiss. He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Jack's and drawing in a deep, steadying breath.

"Wow," Jack murmured against his lips, nudging his nose against Ianto's.

"Yeah," Ianto agreed, his voice wavering.

"So, I was thinking..." Jack's hand trailed up the front of Ianto's shirt, tweaking a nipple and causing his breath to hitch. "I kind of like the nickname Eye Candy, especially when you're wearing this shirt. Maybe I'll start using it."

Ianto's eyes sprung open and he pulled back far enough to meet Jack's teasing gaze. "Well... you could. As long as you never want to have sex with me again."

"Spoilsport," Jack grumbled. "Hmm, I know... how about Tiger Pants?"

Ianto chuckled in spite of himself. "Only if you manage to get me rat-faced drunk first," he said wryly.

"Now that sounds like a challenge." Jack gave him a mischievous grin. "Might be fun. I've never seen you properly drunk."

Ianto seriously doubted he'd need much convincing, especially after the day he'd had. He took a step back, dislodging himself from Jack's arms. "Jack, we need to get back to work..." He began to turn away, but Jack gripped his arm and tugged him back again.

"I was also thinking... we shouldn't have to hide anymore... maybe we could, when this is done... dinner in a nice restaurant?" Jack's voice was surprisingly soft and tentative. "Maybe a movie afterwards?"

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out on a date, Jack?" he asked, falling back on their familiar banter.

Jack laughed slightly, sounding almost nervous. "Interested?"

"Well..." Ianto huffed. "As long as it's not in an office. Some fetishes should be kept to yourself."

"Was that a yes?" Jack asked cautiously.

Ianto smiled. "Yes."

A flicker of relief passed across Jack's face, but then his expression became sombre and guarded. "Ianto, you and me... we're okay aren't we?"

"Of course we are," Ianto assured him, although a little too hurriedly.

"Are you sure?" Jack looked at him doubtfully. "You've been... well, since you got back from London, you've been different... distant. I'd hoped you'd tell me what's wrong when you're ready. But now John's shown up..."

Ianto cringed inwardly and nervously straightened his suit jacket, cursing Jack's perceptiveness. He'd been foolish to think Jack wouldn't pick up on the change in his disposition since London, no matter how much he'd tried to hide it. They spent so much time together and were too attuned to each other's moods not to notice when something was wrong. He wasn't sure if he could successfully hide anything from Jack anymore, not that he wanted to, nor did he want to lie to him.

"Something else happened while I was in London," he admitted reluctantly. "But now isn't the time to talk about it."

"No, it's not," Jack agreed, looking at him with concern. "Will you tell me about it when this is over?"

"Will you tell me about how you became the way you are?" Ianto countered, not quite ready to completely give in. "Will you tell me about the Time Agency?"

Jack sighed heavily. "It was a long time ago, Ianto. I wasn't a good person back then. The work I do here, the person I am now. That's what I'm proud of. That's the person I want you to know."

Ianto searched Jack's features, finding scepticism mixed with the fear he'd seen earlier at the bar. He believed in Jack, and he'd never accept that Jack could have once been anything like John Hart. Jack may have lost his way for a while, but that didn't make him a bad person. "You're a good man, Jack," he said, his tone resolute. "Whatever you did in the past doesn't change that."

"Are you sure about that?" Jack asked uncertainly, but with the barest hint of challenge in his voice. "Ianto, there's so much you don't know about me..."

"I'm sure," Ianto said firmly. He reached up and cupped Jack's face gently in his hand, stroking his thumb over the lightly stubbled skin. "I'm sure, Jack," he repeated. "And I'm also sure that you've suffered more than you deserve... that you've punished yourself more than anyone else ever could."

Jack stared back at him for a long moment, clearly struggling with a multitude of emotions. Finally he nodded, then took Ianto's hand in his and pressed a lingering kiss against the palm. They stared into each other's eyes, and Ianto was sure of one more thing – that he could give Jack the love and acceptance he so desperately needed. That was something John Hart could never do.

Jack gently let go of Ianto's hand and averted his gaze, glancing around the office. "Looks like we're gonna have to go through every drawer, bin and plant pot."

Ianto stepped away, relieved the awkward conversation was over. He put his hands on his hips. "Right. Okay. I'll do this floor... don't want you getting overexcited..." He paused and gave Jack a small smile, fully aware of the irony of his words. "And you take the roof. You're good on roofs."

Jack grinned back, giving him a lazy salute before striding out of the office. Amused to be the one giving the orders for a change, Ianto watched Jack's retreat until he was out of sight.

Although nothing had truly been resolved, he felt as if a weight had lifted between them. Once the John Hart situation was dealt with, he'd ask Jack about the Doctor, and hopefully Jack would tell him at least a little about his past.

He turned to the nearest desk and got to work.

###

Fifteen minutes later, Ianto was still searching through the office and growing more frustrated by the moment. He stood up, straightened his back and sighed wearily, running his hand distractedly over his hair. He was just about to continue his search when he heard the ding of the lift, the sound unnaturally loud in the still silence of the office.

He fished his earpiece from his pocket and pressed it into his ear, tapping it to open the channel. "Jack? Is that you in the lift?"

There was no response, only an eerie silence. With a frown, he tried again, still to no effect. With a growing sense of unease, he pulled out his mobile phone and tried to call Jack. His frown deepened when the phone refused to connect, the screen showing that no service was available. Given they were in the centre of the city and surrounded by phone towers, he knew that should have been impossible.

He looked through the glass doors to the lift area, hearing the sound of a set of lift doors opening. Pulling out his gun, he approached the office doors and peered cautiously through the glass. Heart pounding, he pushed the doors open and edged slowly into the corridor, his gun gripped tightly in both hands. Finally reaching the open lift doors at the furthest end, he bit down nervously on his lip and raised his gun. With his breathing loud and heavy in his ears, he stepped around to look inside. He was both relieved and perplexed to find the lift empty.

Just as he was about to turn around, he felt the cold metal barrel of a gun press against the back of his head. He froze in place, his stomach clenching with fear.

"Into the lift, Eye Candy," John Hart said, the menace in his voice unmistakeable.

Ianto slowly raised his arms in surrender, holding himself still as his gun was plucked from his hand. Silently berating himself for so easily falling into Hart's obvious trap, he closed his eyes for the briefest of moments and steeled himself, his fear beginning to mix with a surge of fiery anger. This psychopath from Jack's past had stormed unwelcome into their lives, and he felt fully justified in being royally pissed off. He deeply regretted not insisting that they lock the bastard up while they had the chance.

The reality of the situation wasn't lost on him. Hart was a self-confessed murderer and wouldn't have the least compunction about putting a bullet through his head. Nor did the fact that he happened to be the current object of Jack's affections bode well for his chances of escaping the situation unscathed. But he was damned if was going to give Hart the satisfaction of observing the full extent of his distress.

He settled his features into an impassive mask to the best of his ability and turned to face the other man.

Hart was smirking at him, his gun held high and aimed directly at the centre of Ianto's forehead. "So, we're alone at last, Eye Candy. Just you and me... no coattails for you to hide behind this time. And by the way, what is it with Jack and that ridiculous coat?"

He stepped forward, pressing the barrel of his gun against Ianto's brow and backing him into the lift. A shiver of cold fear coursed along Ianto's spine. He knew that with just a twitch of Hart's finger, his life would be instantly and brutally extinguished.

"Where's Jack?" he demanded, gravely fearing for Jack's safety in addition to his own. "What have you done to him?"

Hart kept pressing forward until Ianto was backed up against the rear wall of the lift. "You know, you really should worry more about yourself and less about your precious boyfriend."

Ianto reached up and tapped his earpiece, knowing the effort was futile but still needing to try. "Jack?" he called out. "Jack!"

Hart looked amused. "What am I, a child? It's a primitive bit of technology, easily blocked. You should be embarrassed."

"Why are you doing this?" Ianto was surprised by how steady his voice was, given that his entire body was almost trembling with fury.

"We're a cosmic joke, Eye Candy. An accident of chemicals and evolution. The jokes, the sex... they just cover the fact that nothing means anything. And the only consolation is money. Plus, there's Jack... now I've found him again, do you really think I'd just let him go?"

"He's not interested in you," Ianto said determinedly. "You're nothing to him."

"You really think you can compete with me? You're nothing more than a love-sick little boy. You could never be enough for someone like Jack." Hart shook his head pityingly. "This planet has made him soft. He used to have better taste."

"Doesn't look like that from here," Ianto retorted.

"He and I shared something. He'll soon come to his senses and join me again. Don't get me wrong, you're cute and I can see why Jack would keep you around." A horrible, suggestive smile crept across his lips. "I'm sure you make an amusing plaything."

Ianto clenched his jaw and balled his hands into tight fists, white hot anger searing through him. Narrowing his eyes, he glared malevolently at the other man, but somehow managed to remain silent.

"You really think Jack would stay here, tied to this one backwards little planet?" Hart continued, laughing contemptuously. "For you? Are you that stupid? There's thousands of worlds out there, Eye Candy, sparkling with wonder. The glitter of the galaxy. I can give him that again... Jack and I can be up there together, among the stars, claiming them for our own. Just like before."

"You're deluded," Ianto ground out through gritted teeth. "Jack would never go with you."

"Well, we'll just have to see about that." Hart moved in closer, leering at him as he stroked the tip of his gun down the side of Ianto's face. "It's kind of a shame we can't have some fun together."

He trailed the gun across Ianto's chin and then teased it up the other side of his face. Hart's hot breath ghosted over his skin, and an intense wave of pheromones assaulted his nostrils, sharp and almost sickly sweet. The scent was entirely different to Jack, but it was no less intense and overpowering. He blinked and swallowed, tremors of fear wracking his body as his stomach churned, bile rising to his throat.

"You are very pretty, Eye Candy." Abruptly, Hart pushed his body up against Ianto's and crashed their lips together.

Ianto froze, his muscles refusing to respond, whether out of fear, panic or shock, he wasn't sure. The pheromones had made his mind hazy and unclear, and it took a moment for him to process that the despicable, perverted bastard was actually kissing him.

Finally, he shoved the other man away with all his strength. "Get the fuck away from me!" he shouted.

He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth in disgust, glaring at Hart with more hatred than he could ever remember experiencing. He could taste the other man on his lips and he felt violated and sick to his stomach. "You bastard," he muttered vehemently.

Hart leaned back casually against the other side of the lift and holstered his gun. His expression had changed into something that almost seemed tinged with regret.

Ianto stared at him in confusion for a long moment, then he felt a strange tingling sensation in his extremities. It intensified, a prickling numbness spreading out rapidly across his body. His legs trembled and gave way, causing him to slump against the lift wall and collapse to the floor. "What've you done?" he demanded with a shuddering gasp.

"Don't get up. I mean, you can't anyway." Hart stared down at him indifferently. "Paralysing lip gloss. I think it might have even been Jack who taught me that trick. Just one problem, if you're not found in two hours, your major organs will go into shut down."

Ianto desperately tried to move forward, horror and panic overwhelming his thoughts. However, his body refused to respond and he ended up on his back, staring up at the ceiling, paralysed and entirely unable to move. He managed to shift his eyes to where Hart was now standing at the threshold of the lift doors.

"You gonna be okay in here without me?" Hart taunted, punching a button on the lift controls. "He wouldn't have stayed with you. Goodbye, Ianto Jones."

"Going down," the monotonous recorded female voice of the lift announced.

"Going down! Yes, please," Hart added gleefully, backing out of the lift.

"Going down. Doors closing," the recorded voice stated calmly.

The doors closed and John Hart vanished from Ianto's field of vision. He pressed his eyes closed, blocking out the bright light of the lift's interior, strangely thankful that at least his eyelids were still functioning for the moment. He knew he was dead. Hart would make sure Jack didn't get to him in time, and even if he did, there would be nothing even Jack could do to save him.

The lift descended, carrying him downwards, the doors opening when it arrived at the ground floor. Ianto didn't bother trying to open his eyes, knowing the building's large foyer was dark and devoid of life. The doors slid closed again a few moments later, sealing him inside once more.

As the minutes passed slowly by, his initial panic gave way to a strange sense of calm acceptance. The simple act of breathing seemed to be becoming more arduous, and he wondered if he actually had as much time as Hart had stated. He wasn't in any pain, and he supposed there were worse ways to go, especially for those working for Torchwood. At least this way, he'd just fade away into the darkness.

His thoughts drifted, his mind tracing lazily back over the events of his all-too-brief life. He thought about his parents, especially his mum who had been taken from them far too soon, and his sister who he'd never see again. She would never know the truth about the life he'd led or how he died. He thought about his niece and nephew who he'd never get to see grow up, and who wouldn't even remember him. He thought about Lisa and the life they might have had together if things had worked out differently.

And he thought about his beautiful, tormented Jack, the man who, beyond all rhyme or reason, he'd grown to love with all of his heart. He knew Jack would never leave Earth and go with John Hart. This was Jack's home, and Jack was strong, he'd move on and find someone else who would love him and take care of him. He hoped Jack would remember him, at least for a while, and that he'd look back fondly on the time they'd had together. He hoped Jack wouldn't cut himself off from the world again. Mostly, he hoped that Jack knew he'd been loved, that he was worthy of love, and that he deserved to have happiness in his life, no matter how fleeting. He could never have any regrets and he wouldn't have changed what he'd shared with Jack for the world, but he wished they'd had more time together.

"Jack," he managed to barely whisper, his throat tight, his lips refusing to move. "Jack..."