The Village of Hope fell silent as the party began to end. Many were still around the fire pit. Most of the ones that coupled off were gone into the shadows or the tents for the rest of the night. The place was just a lower fire pit in the center with a few quiet residents still drinking and talking together.
Sean and Jack walked arms around waists to the small group by the fire. It was Paula that noticed the new arrivals to the dwindling fire and raised her bottle to them.
"Well I thought you two would be "off" for the night. Every time I saw you guys, your hands were doing something to each other. What, is the honeymoon over?" She chuckled but lost the bottle to Sean before it reached her lips.
"Sharing is good!" He said as he downed the rest of the bottle. Paula just stared up at him before she lost control and began to laugh.
"Now you can get that skinny butt over to the wine tent and get us some more." She demanded. He stared at her. "You heard me, move!"
And with a grin he did, leaving Jack to fend for himself. He watched the group just sitting around talking in drunken humor and wondered what he should say. Paula in her wisdom invited him to sit next to her. He smiled and joined her, leaning back on the log.
"The ground is warm tonight." He tried to start a dialog with the woman.
"Yeah and birds fly. Jack, you can do better than that. Why are you acting so shy, or is awkward the term? Despite what your scrawny ass lover may say about us, we don't bite." She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. With the wine talking she told Jack, "I have such a crush on him. He only has eyes for you. What must that be like, Jack, to have those eyes in their hazel finery, looking at you?" She stirred slightly with a sigh.
Jack smiled and wrapped an arm around her. "He is like the sun, warm, recharging the soul. His eyes when they look at me make me feel free and not alone. I'm glad he looks at me. I hope they always look at me the way they do. Paula, he is first of all a friend. I'm sorry I wish I could be more of a comfort to you. It is just I feel a little awkward talking to you about this. He will love the way he wants. It is the way of all things. To love in the direction we have been led. He loves you; he loves everyone; that is his nature. It took me time to see that. I have never been around love in its pure form before." He hugged a little before continuing.
"Sean, well, he put me on a different path. For once, I believe in something. I'm not just wandering around on aimless roads and dead ends. I have a purpose and I have someone who loves who I am. Ianto saw some of me, but with Sean, he sees all of me. That is what it is like when those eyes in 'hazel finery' look at me. They see me in my naked truth." He kissed her forehead and she cuddled in closer.
"Well if he is going to love someone other than me, at least he has taste. You are a keeper, Jack." She raised her head and kissed him on his lips.
It was then that a throat clearing was heard and they looked up to see Sean with three bottles of wine, his father and Sun Cat. "Do you want me to get you two a room?" He joked at his lover and one of his best friends huddled together in what could be considered more than friendship. He sat down next to Paula and handed her a bottle, which she passed to Jack, and then another for her. He took a long swig of the one he kept.
"Easy Sean, the last time you got drunk you started to sing." One of the log sitters laughed. "Oh please, I don't want to hear that song again."
"Terence, I think that won't happen, you know who is here." He glanced at Jack and winked.
"Oh is this more of the Captain Handsome story? Drink up if this is the only way to get it out of you." Jack smirked at Sean's embarrassment.
"Sorry, all future performances of Captain Handsome were closed due to bad taste." Sean whistled as he snuggled closer to Paula and glanced up at the stars.
He started to think of the places that Jack told him about. Afterwards they made love under those stars filled with more tales than even Jack had. It was a comfort, almost a relief to feel this connection to the universe. He was thankful for all that it had been given him because of the ones that loved him. His Da being one of those people who gave him the most of all with a chance at life.
"Sean, are you going to show me around tomorrow son? Or are you busy?" His Da took a seat next to his boy followed by Sun Cat who looped arms and hands with Peter. It was very loving the way they were so close to each other. 'A misfit family found in the chaos of humanity' the words formed inside Sean's head.
"Da, I'm never too busy for you. We will bring Tina with us. Maybe put together a picnic by the stream, make it a day for all of us to have fun. Paula, why don't you join us? After all, what fun would it be without my best friend and sister?" He kissed her cheek. She snuggled deeper between the two men.
"I guess I could dump my workload on to Phil! No thanks, but I really have a lot to do. Some other time." She wiggled out from the warmth of the handsome men and sighed as she stood. With her bottle of wine in hand, she spoke. "Night all, I'm wrecked. See you in the morning, well in a few hours." She laughed as she began to head to her tent.
"Friend and sister!!! Really Sean, she is in love with you! You could have been a little less heartless." Sun Cat reached over Peter and lightly tapped Sean's shoulder.
"I know, but what do you want me to do? It was my fault; I may have led her on. But by that logic, Phil should be in love with me as well." Sean looked from Sun Cat to his Da and stopped at Jack. "What?" As he saw the confused looks on everyone's face.
"Exactly what did you do while I was gone?" Jack raised an eyebrow at Sean.
He chuckled a little before he responded. "Oh wouldn't you like to know?" Jack pounced on him and began to tickle him again.
"You my young sir, are a Class A brat. Confess your sins now or it will get worse." Jack had Sean choking, he was laughing so hard.
Peter and Sun Cat moved over a bit. Sean begged them to help as Jack assaulted him with tickle attacks.
"No son, you made this bed now in my wisdom I will tell you to lie in it." His Da stood and help up Sun Cat. Standing there over the giggling form of his son he patted Jack on the back. "It is late and I would like a little private tour of this camp, so I'm saying goodnight, and yes you can find me with Sun Cat. Sean, stop being a brat and tell him. Sweet dreams Jack, don't let my son torment you so. Class A Brat, it fits." The couple left.
"Wait Da, help… What do you mean with Sun Cat… Jack stop… I only cried my heart out to them… I missed you so…" He collapsed in a coughing fit as the tickling stopped.
"I missed you as well." He smoothed back Sean's hair out of his eyes as he kissed the breath back into his beautiful lover. "Let's head back. We left Gwen and Rhys with Tina too long. Besides I want to cuddle with you." He took Sean's breath away this time with the kiss. "Will there ever be too much of you?" Jack looked at his flushed messed up hair lover and sighed. He stood, bringing Sean with him. Both men straightened their clothes and bid goodnight to the group that was mainly passed out. Sean opened a portal and they stepped through to the cottage.
"Show off." Jack was heard to say as the portal closed.
The cottage was dark except for the light that was in the kitchen. The couple found Rhys reading something on his laptop.
"I thought you gave up the porn sites when you married Gwen," Jack joked. " Anything good?" He walked around to look over Rhys shoulder as Sean got a glass of water.
"Geez, I never thought a schematic could bend like that. Rhys what is that?" Jack frowned when it turned out to be a mechanical drawing.
"That is Sean's machine. This is a marvel. I can't believe it myself. Stop making that face Jack, I'm not an idiot. I know what this does. I can see how it works as well. Sean this is a thing of beauty." He kept his eyes wandering along the screen absorbing all of it and starting again to make sure he didn't miss any of it.
"Jack, it is made so it is understood. I made sure that all could comprehend the design. This machine is for the world."
Jack looked at the drawing and saw what Sean meant. The design was created to be understood by all. "Wouldn't it be easy for someone to steal the idea or corrupt it?" Jack stared at his lover and waited for Sean to answer.
"Jack, try to build it. It won't work, it is understood but it can never be made by anyone but the people of Hope with me behind it. I wish I could explain that better. But it looks like it will work, you see it as working, but you could never get it to work. Ralph tried. I asked him to. We could hear him cursing his frustration all the way to the camp. He came by and wagged his finger at me, of course there was a smile on his face." He tilted his head at Jack.
"Ralph is by far one of the smartest men I know, he has a genius IQ. If he can't do it, I don't know who could. Sean, why let any one see it, then? Why make it so easy to understand?"
Sean took a sip of water and thought on the answer. He had a motive for it, but would Jack understand? He stared at the Immortal in front of him and smiled. It came out as simple as the appearance of the workings of the machine. "Because I want all to see the truth. I don't want to hide it, once they enter this place. Jack, we don't have secrets here, we trust. If you come to live in Hope, you have that given to you." He took another swig from the glass and smiled.
"What if some one breaks the trust? What will Hope do?" It was a question that needed to be brought to light. So far there had been no betrayal. But Mankind, the way the species worked, it was a give and take system. Sometimes more take than anything. This was the truth of Mankind. The stronger preyed on the weak, a universal truth as correct as physics and math.
Rhys was intently staring at Sean as he awaited the answer to the debated question that Jack had started. Jack for the most part was curious as to how far his lover had thought all this out. Sean seemed to be led by instinct so far. From what Jack learned from his moments with Sean's benefactor, the race was intelligent. Was Sean able to put the two together?
"I guess some form of punishment. Those who come to Hope are led here, Jack. They won't know that is exists unless it calls to them. Those that come here should know the truth. If they chose to pervert it, then I suppose they will be punished. That bridge has not been crossed. So I don't have an exact answer. I'm sorry." He took another sip from the glass and returned to the sink.
Rhys looked at Jack, who for some reason seemed lost in Sean's words. The great man in his greatcoat just looked at the younger man in wonder. The softness of his smile indicated that he was pleased.
"Let's hope you never have to cross that bridge." His face seemed relieved.
The kitchen door swung open as Tina ran into the room and grabbed Sean around the legs. She was crying as he picked her up.
"Hey, what's wrong sweetheart?" He kissed her lightly and held the sobbing child close, waiting for her to answer.
"It was dark and raining, you were gone, and the rain wouldn't stop. I could feel something watching in the sky. I was suddenly afraid something had happened to you." She buried her little head into Sean's shoulder seeking confirmation that he was still there.
Jack caught the look on Sean's face. They had discussed Sean's dreams in more detail earlier. Somehow these were different. The something watching in the sky coupled with a danger to Sean had the little hairs on the back of Jack's neck sticking up. His eyes started putting together the information while Sean soothed the crying girl.
"Tina, it was just a dream. I know they seem real but right now you can see, I'm here and the rain isn't. So why don't we put you back to bed? We're going for a picnic later and I think you want to be a little bit awake for that. Right?"
She nodded into his shoulder and whispered something to him. "Can you show me what I am?" She rubbed her eyes on his shirt before she looked into his. Those blue eyes of frighten little girl blinked at Sean. She was pouting at him.
The face of this lost angel was so beautiful to the doctor that he opened his heart to her and smiled like the sun at Tina. "Oh my sweetheart, yes I will, but you need to sleep. So let's get you tucked in. Do you need anything before hand?"
She shook her head no as Sean brought her back to the living room and her bed on the couch. Gwen stirred but didn't wake. Tucking Tina in, he kissed her forehead leaving her to fall asleep. He headed upstairs.
It was just a little while later that Sean heard the footsteps of Jack trying to softly climb the creaking wood of the old staircase. Sean saw him in the doorway while he finished taking off his clothes. The bed springs creaked slightly as he sat down on it.
"Better get this oiled if we are going to have a child stay here. I won't want our activities to disturb her." He attempted a smile but he was far too tired and he knew that Jack was thinking about something that was hanging between them since their talk.
As he removed his coat, Jack asked his question. "She is staying with us then? Not that I mind, I just don't make for a good father figure. Alice can attest to that. Sean what if, I mean things could go wrong. I don't think I'm the one to raise her." He looked at his lover as he unbuttoned his sleeves.
"I hope to be back after I find Paul. But if something happens, who will be here with Tina? You can't come with me." He studied Jack's face after their eyes let go of each other.
Jack seemed to take the news well. He was hurt, but there must be a reason. Sean was seeing things far beyond his inner vision now. All Jack could do is hear Sean out. There was always room for discussing the pros and cons later. Right now it was just part of their relationship. Jack was at the stage in his long life that he had to let those he loved do what they must.
"When do you think you will be leaving?" Jack removed his shoes and wrist strap.
"As soon as I hear from Ianto," Sean stretched out on the bed, watching Jack.
"Okay, what does Ianto have to do with this?" Jack frowned in confusion.
Sean sighed, as he turned sideways, shifting his body to face Jack. Absentmindedly, he picked at a thread in the bedcover as he thought of a way to phrase it.
"The Gods, well the one that you met, found him very interesting, I assume. Liam mentioned something about it when I went to see him. After listening to your side of the story, I assume that Ianto is playing more of a part than we thought. Ianto went to find Paul. There is some connection there that I can't see." Sean avoided Jack's eyes.
"Liam and you, did you…" The question hung there like something that needed airing. "I mean if you did, I understand, after what I did." Jack started to unbutton his top collar button.
Sean looked up at his lover, breathing out before he responded. "I was close to doing that. But it wasn't the same. I didn't feel that connection, well not like when he was alive when we were lovers." He watched Jack's face brighten for a moment.
With his pants removed Jack slid onto the bed. Legs slightly crossed, he continued his scrutinizing of Sean. "Why?" Was all he had to say.
"Because it is different, I'm not that person anymore. I love you." He looked up at Jack and grinned.
"Sean, I'm coming with you. Don't say no, you need me as back up."
There was only one way to say this and it was breaking Sean. It was going to hurt Jack, but he had to make sure Jack understood. "No, if I die, and there is a good chance that I might, he could just kill you. You have told me before when you are dead, it is easy to restrain you and that you are vulnerable. I don't have the time to worry about what he will do to you. That is not an option, my friend. My love, you have to see that, I would never find peace, knowing I led you to hell." He caught Jack's fiery gaze.
Jack for the first time realized that someone understood what he was all about. "Not even Ianto thought like this, Sean. He thought of me in a very different way. Almost like I would never suffer. He assumed that I would get rescued or saved. Even when he knew I was buried alive for almost two thousand years, he never quite got it. But you being a prisoner, at the mercy of someone else, you see what I've been through. How do you expect me to not be there for you? I can't lose you now." He cupped the young man's face, forcing Sean to look at him.
"It is because you can be captured and used that you must stay here. Right now we have the advantage. Jack, Paul has no idea about Ianto lurking about. Ianto is doing the work and the one that Paul destroyed is leading him. Paul has no idea where I am. Even if you do get away, if the worst happens and I die, you can't come back here to Hope. He will follow you like a bloodhound after a fox. Who is going to help them fight Paul if you're not here? I need you in charge of the second line of defense. Just listen to me! When did I become all military?" He grinned and laughed a little.
"And Tina, you need someone to keep her safe. Oh my dear…" He puffed out a little air from his lips. "I see what you're saying. I understand and, I will do this because I love you, obey your wisdom and keep them safe. But Sean, do what you must," he made sure that their eyes were looking directly into each other, "even if that means it will break my heart." He gathered the young man in his arms seeking his lips and to meld with him. He knew time was short so they had to make the most of it.
The affection was tender as was their joining. The two spent Gods slept until the sun came up. The Immortal God looked out at the new day and hoped it would not be the last with the Time God in his arms.
Somewhere, Ianto Jones was in fear of his death. There are some things even a ghost shouldn't know.
End Chapter 38 TBC