AN: Remember how I said I loved chapter 33, well, I love this one too, maybe a bit more. :). But not as much as I love Taamar of course.
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood.
Warnings: Usual.
Rating: MA
Spoilers: None.
Jason
Jason left his room and began to walk quickly down the hall toward the stairs. He was going down to the basement, and he was going to have a bit of a chat with his arch nemesis, Jack Harkness. The man that Ianto Jones thinks hung the fucking moon. It was Jack's fault, all of it. If Ianto had never met Jack everything would be cherry, but no, the 'Captain' had walked into Ianto's life, and thus destroyed Jason's.
"I want to see the prisoner, give me the keys to his cuffs," Jason demanded of the guard outside Jack's cell. The guard handed Jason the key and opened the door for him. Jason marched in, allowing the cell door to shut behind him. He undid Jack's cuffs as Jack looked on with a confused look. Once the cuffs were off Jason punched Jack just as he had in the Hub. He expected Jack to retaliate, to do anything, but the man just wiped the blood off his lip.
"Where's Ianto?" Jack asked. Jason resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Apparently everybody wanted Ianto.
"What makes you think I have him, Jack?"
"Either you have him, or Iden Miller has him. At least let me see him, Jason, you know what he means to me."
"Aren't you going to hit me back?" Jason challenged.
"Would there be a point? Would it help the situation?"
"It would make me feel better." Jason insisted.
"Then I'm not going to do it." Jack snapped.
"Ianto was mine first. I was deeply in love with him. I've loved him longer than you've even known him. I was his first, you know. I taught him everything he knows. Not just about sex, but about lying, about interrogation, how to fight, how to shoot; every single language he speaks, I taught him. But barely three years with you, and he cares nothing for me. Nothing for the man who would do anything for him. Because of you!"
Jason pulled Jack up and slammed him into the wall. He could feel Jack's fury flowing though his veins, mixed with a deep sadness that made Jason's heart stop momentarily.
"As far as I know, he does care for you. Or did. Of course, probably not anymore, not after you've kept him from me for three years," Jack replied, his features set into a cold mask that gave away nothing of his true feelings.
"You know Jack, I moved on. I'm over him now. I can even fuck him without old feelings coming back like they used to, because I have Adrian. Adrian, who never asks for me than I can give, who understands me… he's perfect. And you know what happened today, Jack?" Jason said, inching closer to Jack, gripping his chin to force him to look up. "I had to save my charge from you, and in the process of doing that, I had to go against my lover's wishes, and now he's given me back the ring, and he's not speaking to me, and I just can't lose him!" Jason released Jack's face and punched him again. "So if you could, please, just fucking fight back!"
Jack, released from Jason's grasp, charged the man and pinned him against the opposite wall. "None of that's my fault. You made those choices, you deal with the consequences!" He snarled. Jason broke Jack's hold and flipped him around, pressing their bodies together.
"You're such a fucking bastard!" Jason growled. A new emotion surged through the connection Ianto had told him about so many times: arousal. Jack, it seemed, was turned on by aggression. He filed this bit of information for future use.
"You've kidnapped me and my team, and you're holding us prisoner, and you're calling me a bastard?" Jack spat.
What the hell was it about Jack Harkness, Jason wondered, that made everyone so obsessed with him? Ianto, Brody, and even Adrian, though Jason trusted his lover when he said it had never gone beyond a kiss. Still, a kiss must mean something, so he forced their mouths together. Soon they were fighting each other for dominance, and biting each other's lips until Jason could taste blood. The feel of Jack's nails digging into the flesh of his neck stung, but felt so good, and Jack forced his tongue into Jason's mouth, and he couldn't let him win, so he pushed back with his own until he could feel Jack's moan deep in his chest. Jack shoved him away, but Jason pulled him along, and they continued their battle with hands tangled in each other's hair. They kissed fiercely, rutting against each other as they grappled, anger warring with desire. It was hot, and erotic, and oh, so wrong. Jason could feel Jack's doubts about what they were doing, but his arousal was stronger, and Jason's mirrored it.
Jason was saved from making this latest mistake by the opening of the cell door. He pulled away from Jack and looked back at the guard in the doorway, who was staring, abashed, at the two men. "I thought he was attacking you sir, I didn't realize…"
"It's fine," Jason insisted. He wiped the smear of Jack's blood from his mouth and left the cell. "Lock him back up."
Ianto
Ianto glanced that the sleeping man in the passenger seat of his rented car. "Are you awake?" Ianto asked rhetorically. It was nearly midnight, and the two were almost to Jason's mansion.
"Not anymore," Trevor sighed. "You know, if I knew that being your assistant was going to involve me not getting much sleep, I would have thought longer about it."
"I was just going to tell you that we are almost there," Ianto said, rolling his eyes even though he knew his passenger couldn't see it.
"Oh…" Trevor said, sitting up and looking around just as Ianto turned down Jason's driveway. "What's with the extra security?" he asked when they saw men standing guard outside the mansion's entrance.
"I have no clue… but I should know, being as I'm the fucking Minister!" Ianto declared.
"Did you check to see if you had any missed messages on your phone?"
Ianto looked at Trevor as if the man had just asked him if he remembered to put on pants that morning. "Of course I did."
Once the car was parked Ianto and Trevor took their bags out of the boot and walked up to the stoop. "Minister," the men chimed, standing to attention once they realized it was Ianto.
"Gentlemen, why are you keeping guard tonight?" Ianto asked as one of the men took his suitcase.
"Rift Leader Sims orders, sir."
Ianto rolled his eyes. "Alright, whatever, don't tell me," he said, grabbing his bag back from the guard and going into the house.
"We could—" the man began, but Ianto just shut the door in his face.
"Wankers," Ianto said to Trevor. Trevor nodded in agreement.
"It's like they're robots."
"Oh, they are," Ianto deadpanned.
Ianto stood still for a moment, trying to get a feel for where Jason and Adrian were. He locked onto Jason almost immediately; he was obviously in the kitchen. Then he got a feel for Adrian and realized that he must be in Adrian's old room, rather than the one he shared with Jason. That was concerning. Ianto put his bag in Trevor's free hand. "Take this to my room, third floor, last door on the right. You can stay with me in there, or you can sleep in the room next to it, your choice. I'm going to go have a chat with my friends."
"Oh yeah, have me carry your bag instead of the beefcake outside, that makes total sense." Trevor grumbled, going up the stairs.
Ianto smiled. "I wanted to see you trying to be macho, it turns me on."
"Don't try to butter me up now, damage has already been done," Trevor teased.
"Careful, or I'll do more damage," Ianto flirted, loving the banter. Trevor just laughed as he hefted the suitcases up the stairs, giving his hips an extra wiggle for Ianto's benefit.
Ianto walked toward the kitchen, realizing as he did that Jason wasn't alone. He hoped he wasn't about to walk in on Jason with another of his conquests. Ianto stopped suddenly to focus on the other rush in the kitchen. It was familiar. He closed his eyes to focus on it for a moment, trying to place it, when suddenly it clicked. Brody. Ianto ran the rest of the way to the kitchen and saw his long-lost lover leaning against the counter.
He bypassed Jason and went straight to Brody, pulling the man into him and gripping his shirt. "I can't fucking believe it," Ianto breathed before crashing his lips against Brody's. "When did you come through?" Ianto asked as he pulled away from the kiss.
"Just last night," Brody replied. Ianto turned to look at Jason.
"And why wasn't I called?" Ianto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's… complicated," Jason repliedevasively.
"Uncomplicated it, then," said Ianto, taking a step away from Brody.
Jason shifted uncomfortably and looked away. "Brody came through in front of Jack last night. So today Jack somehow figured us out. Actually, he dug up graves, Brody's, Aria's, yours, and..."
"And?" Ianto pressed. He was getting angrier by the second. He should have been called, and it looked like Jason knew it.
"Ianto Jr.'s"
Ianto narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw. It was one thing to disturb graves he knew were empty, but his child's grave wasn't. Jack had a lot to answer for, but Ianto didn't have time to think about that now.
"Continue," Ianto said through tight lips.
"Well, Brody found his way here, and Jack tracked him. Jack threatened me, said if I didn't produce you within the week he'd have UNIT after us. He kidnapped Dylan and threatened to torture him to find us. Broke his nose, bruised his ribs, and you should see the poor guy's wrists."
"So he gave Dylan back, then?" Ianto asked, confused as to how Jason would know how Dylan was if Jack still had him.
"Not exactly," Jason continued. "Ianto, I did what needed to be done, he had my charge."
"What did you do?" Ianto said slowly, a sinking feeling building in his stomach.
"Kidnapped Torchwood."
Ianto's self control snapped. Before he was aware of what was happening he had knocked Jason to the ground and was on top of him, with one hand on his throat and the other punching him repeatedly. "How fucking stupid are you?" he roared. Jason attempted to break away, but Ianto, in his rage, forced him back to the floor, face down, with a knee in his back. "I can't fucking believe you did that, how could you think I would allow it?" he raged as he continued to pummel the man beneath him. Ianto felt someone try to pull him off Jason, but he broke free and started kicking, shouting obscenities. In the back of his mind he heard Brody calling for help. It took three men to pull Ianto off Jason.
When his friends finally calmed Ianto down and the fury cleared from his eyes, he saw his guardian curled up on the kitchen floor, covered in blood. Ianto looked down and saw that the tile floor was smeared with it, and his own shirt was wet and sticky.
To Ianto's left was Adrian; the Frenchman was still holding Ianto's arm tightly, but Ianto could feel him shaking. "Did you agree to let him kidnap Torchwood?"
"Of course not, I forbade it. He did it anyway, left Jefferson in charge of me. He took my phone so I couldn't call you, and I gave him back his ring." Adrian said. Shit, that explained why Adrian hadn't been in Jason's room. Ianto could only hope that the breach could be healed. Jason had done a very stupid thing, but he had done it for his charge. Ianto was sure he would have done the same for Brody. He wondered briefly if Jason and Dylan had slept together, but set it aside as irrelevant.
Ianto pulled away from Adrian, Brody, and Trevor, and attempted to straighten out his suit. He had just beaten Jason in a fight, a thing he had never believed possible. If he hadn't been so horrified by the damage he had done, Ianto would have taken a moment to gloat. He was just glad Jason would heal quickly. "I want that guard detail of yours broken up. I want them sent to other Rifts. I fucking hate them. They question my authority, and I'm damn sure not about to have another uprising on my hands, especially not with one of my most trusted Leaders at the head. That being said… God Jace, I'm sorry but I'm putting you on suspension and house arrest. As it is, I'll have trouble justifying not relocating you for mutiny. Adrian will take over the leadership responsibilities until you've gained back my trust."
"Yes, Minister," Jason said, getting up onto his knees and keeping his head down. It broke Ianto's heart to see Jason so humbled, and he felt terrible about what he had done, but he hoped that Jason would finally respect his authority now. It had been a long time coming.
Ianto looked over at Adrian for a moment, then back at Jason. "And you won't have my trust back until Adrian puts that ring back on his finger."
Jason tried to answer, but all that came out was a small sob before he buried his head in his hands. Ianto saw Adrian shift; he so clearly wanted to go to Jason, but was holding on to his anger.
"Where are the members of Torchwood? In the basement?" Ianto asked.
"Yes, sir," Brody answered.
"I want them moved to bedrooms. I want our prisoners to feel more like guests…" he paused and looked at Trevor. "Where did you put your bag?"
"In the room next to yours, sir," Trevor all but grinned, as if he knew something, the bastard. "Would you like me to ensure that Captain Harkness is delivered to your suite, sir?"
Ianto chanced a look at Brody, then looked back at Trevor. "Yes, please. I'm going to go shower now." Ianto looked at Jason and sighed; he was still kneeling on the floor with his head in his hands. Adrian was standing just out of arm's reach, but Ianto knew that as soon as they were alone the man would break and run to his lover. No matter how angry he was, Adrian would want to take care of Jason.
Ianto left the kitchen and began to climb the stairs, heading for the third floor. He wasn't surprised when Brody followed. "I'm okay, you know, that you've chosen to spend the night with Jack over me."
Ianto stopped on the second floor landing and looked at Brody. This many of Ianto's lovers under one roof was a bit much. At least with Trevor it was just casual, but with Brody it wasn't, and even his relationship with Jason, as awkward as it was at the moment, was based on a deep emotional bond. There was never any question that Ianto would choose Jack over all of them, but it didn't mean that he didn't love the others.
"I missed you." Ianto smiled, and gently kissed Brody's lips. "I just… I need him tonight. I've put it off long enough."
"I know," Brody said. He pulled Ianto into a hug, holding him close before releasing him and disappearing down the second floor hallway without another word.
Adrian
"What's the code to the basement?"
Adrian pulled his eyes away from his broken lover to see the boy who had come in with Ianto. "1711198," he replied. He wasn't even sure who the strawberry blond was, but he figured he was trusted if Ianto had given him orders. "Let me get Jason to bed, and then be down I'll help you." Jason's small sobs quieted.
"Don't worry about it, take your time," The young man said, walking out of the kitchen and into the laundry room. He looked familiar, but Adrian didn't have the energy to try to figure out why.
Adrian moved closer to Jason and knelt beside him. "Come on, Jason, let's get you cleaned up and into bed."
"Mon amour, please forgive me."
"This isn't the time to discuss it, Jason," Adrian said. All he wanted was to fall to his knees next to Jason and hold him, but he couldn't. Not when his betrayal was still this fresh. He helped Jason to his feet and the two made their way to the second floor. It was everything Adrian could do not to growl in anger when he opened the door to Jason's room and found it destroyed. "I guess we'll sleep elsewhere tonight; tomorrow you will need to clean this up, though."
"Yes, mon amour," Jason sniffled out.
Adrian led Jason further down the hall to Adrian's room. He took him straight to the bathroom. "Clean yourself up." Adrian managed to say, tossing a towel at him. What he really wanted to do was clean Jason himself, but he didn't think he would be able to keep it from escalating, and he didn't think sex was a good decision for either of them at the moment.
The sound of the shower did nothing to drown out Jason's new set of tears, and Adrian allowed himself to shed a few more as well. By the time Jason came out of the bathroom Adrian had dried his own eyes and was reading a book.
"I can sleep in my room… I mean, I'd just have to pull the covers back on to the bed. They're a bit ragged, but they'll be fine for tonight," Jason said from the foot of the bed.
"That's probably best, I'll see you in the morning." Adrian replied, not even looking up from his book. He knew that if he met Jason's eyes he's lose his nerve and let his lover stay the night. As it was, he knew he would most likely check on the man at some point in the night. He was hurting inside, and every fiber of his being wanted to tell Jason to get in the bed, but he held back. He wasn't ready to forgive him quite yet.
"Do you still love me?" Jason asked, his voice breaking slightly.
Adrian put his book down. "Yes, but I don't fucking like you right now."
Jason nodded and left, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Adrian waited for the door to shut behind his lover before he sobbed into his hands. He was still furious, and he still loved Jason fiercely. And feeling both at once was tearing him apart.
Jack
Jack was nearly asleep when his cell opened for the second time that night. To his relief, it wasn't Jason who came in, but a young boy with strawberry blond hair who didn't look more than seventeen.
"Hello Captain, I'm Trevor. It seems you booked a room with a balcony, and they stuck you in the basement?"
"Yeah, it's the last time I'm booking online," Jack joked. He liked this kid already. Not only was he cheeky, but he was Welsh, and that accent really got to Jack.
Trevor undid Jack's cuffs. "The Minister has requested that you be moved to a more comfortable space. The rest of your team has been moved as well. He'd also like to tell you that he is sorry Rift Leader Sims took such drastic measures."
"The Minister?" Jack questioned.
"Yes, sir. If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to your new room," Trevor said, hurrying out of the cell.
Jack followed the boy and was disappointed to notice two guards following behind them as they made their way out of the basement. "What do you mean when you say 'Minister'?"
"Before I answer your question, there is one thing I want you to understand. We, and when I say we I mean 'undying time travelers,' have been a part of the universe from the beginning of time, and will be until the end…you understand? So we aren't a danger, we just want to live out lives in peace."
"Oh of course," Jack said bitterly, "You're very peaceful, kidnapping your own and keeping them from the ones they love. Threatening their children. Very fucking peaceful. The thing is, I wouldn't have cared, but you went and took my lover from me, and now it's personal!"
"What proof do you have? Or are you just making up these accusations on your own? Our Minister is peaceful, and gracious. He keeps us safe and puts our needs first, ahead of his own."
Trevor was starting to lose his appeal. He was either totally ignorant or an excellent liar. There was no way the 'Minister', whoever the fuck that was, was peaceful. Jack knew he couldn't be, he had to be keeping Ianto against Ianto's will. That was the only explanation that Jack could accept, because the other was that Ianto didn't want Jack, and that hurt too much to even consider.
"What if one of you went back in time and prevented the death of Joan of Arc? Or killed Hitler? I mean, those things seem like a good idea until you do it and realize that you've screwed up the universe," Jack said, deciding already that it was pointless to try to reason with the boy, but attempting it anyway.
"Isn't that what your Doctor does?" Trevor pressed.
"Not to fixed points, he doesn't change important things."
"Why not? Could it be that he knows better? Hmmm… don't you think it's possible we know better as well?"
"I suppose it's possible, but not bloody likely!" Jack replied. The kid was sarcastic. It was rather cute, even if he was potentially either a brainwashed drone or a complete idiot.
"And what about you Jack? You used to travel through time, what stopped you from screwing with it?"
"I was trained not to." Jack sighed.
"Yeah, I was too." Trevor smiled, patting Jack's back. "And here we are," Trevor announced when they got to the last door on the third floor. "Executive suite, with a balcony."
Jack nodded. "It was nice talking to you Trevor." He winked playfully as he opened the door to the room and went in.
The boy hadn't been kidding about the balcony, and the French doors leading out to it were wide open. Jack felt his heart stop. Ianto was standing just outside in his boxer briefs, gazing up at the night sky. Jack felt his breath catch in his throat. Ianto was as beautiful as he remembered, and he had dreamt this exact moment often enough that he couldn't be sure if he had found his lover or lost his mind.
"Ianto?" Jack whispered, his voice barely audible as he walked out into the cool night air.
Ianto turned, his cheeks tearstained, "I'm sorry, Jack."
Jack broke down and rushed the rest of the way out to Ianto, then pulled him into his arms. He didn't know what Ianto was sorry for, but at that moment the only thing that mattered was that Ianto was there and alive. Jack kissed the lips he had spent years missing. He sobbed when he pulled away slightly. "I knew, Yan, I knew you weren't gone. I could feel you." He showered desperate kisses over Ianto's face and neck and breathed in the scent of his freshly washed hair. "I'm so sorry it's taken so long, I should have figured out your clues faster, but it's going to be okay now. I'll figure a way out, and we'll find Ruby, and we'll run. Somewhere they won't be able to find us."
"Jack—" Ianto began, but Jack cut off his words with a breathtaking kiss.
"I love you, Ianto, and I'm so sorry it took me so long to say those words," Jack declared once he broke the kiss.
"I love you too, Jack, but we need to talk. I think you're a bit confused about what's really going on."
AN: Are we all happy? I am, but there is still more story to tell.