Running, if a dead man can run, and it seemed like he was. After all, he was breathing heavily. Something Sean gave them back in Paradise, the New Eden, physical form and body functions. Ianto found eating was a good thing. As was sex, it was yes, very good to do in the Eden-like afterlife. It was something that he found interesting with his new-found lust over Liam in the way the doctor would pant when they touched. Of course Jack 2 and Elaine were not at all shocked that they were having the time of their lives. Jack 2 asked Ianto and Liam to come by and join them sometime. He was going to suggest to Sean that they have an X-rated version of Eden and a tamer one for children, if needed. Ianto was hard pressed to think what families would think of Jack 2 propositioning everything, including the family dog.
Wait, how come it always somehow goes back to Jack? Why is it that Jack seems to be able to distract him from the worst moments when they happen?
The corridor he had wandered into was dark except for where the leftover currents of electricity sparked, causing brief moments of illumination around the spaces against the wall. He mused how if he were still alive it would have frightened him more. But dead, he thought that it was as if he was like a character in a first person shooter game. Except for the fact he had no weapon. If only there was a BFG lying around; he would feel a little more in control.
"And why was there water dripping from the ceiling? Can't evil bad guys nest in four- star hotels? Just once it would be nice not to be creeping around degraded buildings waiting for something to be all ugly and smelly at me." Ianto walked a little faster down the corridor.
The lights flickered again and within a split second of darkness a figure was in front of him. The dead Welshman jumped back in fear of the sudden presence.
It was Sean.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ianto look at the handsome man in front of him that showed up out of thin air.
"You're almost on top of Paul. So I came to tell you the next step. But first a few questions about what my creator said to you." Sean was very calm with his voice.
"Can't you do this with Jack? Or is there something that he didn't get that you think I did. What would he give to me that could be different?" He asked to Sean's calm face.
The thought 'what has he given to you that is different from me,' in regards to Jack and Sean passed through and left just as fast.
"Is my creator still around somehow? Did he ask you to help him to help me? Ianto, you not getting the portals from me! So he must be the one to be guiding you. I was the one giving you the ability before. I just pray that somehow Paul hasn't gotten to you. There is more than Jack to worry about here!" Sean was trying to stay in control. He didn't have long, halfway from one plane to the next; he wasn't sure he was under Paul's radar. But there was still a chance that if Paul was controlling Ianto that if Sean left now, Paul would be right behind him. The lights dimmed again.
Sean reached for Ianto and pulled him into the portal. They stood in between planes watching stars start, grow and explode, the universe living through time. Life going through its transformations and then starting again after it decomposed. The spiral life stream was endless. Ianto gaped. "Whoa, this is, well…" He smiled, showing teeth with his mouth opened. "Oh my god, this is wondrous! Sean, you… this… the whole thing, is beautiful."
Sean blushed at Ianto's comment. "Now I realize now you're not being controlled by Paul. He doesn't have this beauty in him or the ability to witness it. I'm sorry for upsetting you. I can't be too careful. The world is in the balance if he wins, Ianto. We are talking Armageddon of sorts. Paul is the opposite of me; he is the failed end of it all." He stopped and took a breath, collecting the mountain of thoughts he needed to relay to Ianto in the least amount of time.
"When I started working on the machine, my memories started to surface back. All those years of mind wipes healed and I became aware of myself. In my dreams, the God showed me some things but it was mainly shared memories. But when Liam said you went to look for Paul, I needed to know where you stood. When you left, Jack said it was rather sudden. Paul must have known about you by then. He disappeared rather fast after they found Tina as well. He must know Tina is with me. But he can't find me through her." Again his emotions were a mask, but his mannerism was warm very caring.
"The answer is no. We can't see each other or sense each other, which is good. Because he doesn't know I'm here." Sean stopped for a minute to regroup his thoughts.
"But how did you know he is here?" Ianto frowned.
"Because I can use you as a sensor. You may not see him yet, but your subconscious picks up on him. It comes from working around the Rift for so long. Jack is a great example of time vision, He was on the TARDIS, and he has traveled through Time. He can be used to see into things that are based in time. My kind, well my creator's kind from what I gather, found the Rift in the earliest of stages in its development. They used it for energy, which is how he was able to remake me with Rift energy. Every creature has a sense of Time. We call most of it instinct. He, my creator was dying , so I have the Rift on my side. Paul didn't. His makeup is far different from mine; our creator was well back then and still able to fight. He botched Paul intentionally." He paused, realizing he had gotten off track a bit.
"Anyway, since you are a source of Rift energy, I can bank my sights off you like radar. He was up ahead from you. I'm using Iantodar." Sean laughed.
"What Ianto radar? Leave the names to me Sean, you suck at it," the Welshman chuckled. He was warming up to Jack's new lover. This man seemed to stay composed and happy, even in the wake of doom. Ianto was starting to see what Jack found so appealing about this man. Sean was calming to all around him. It was a very natural talent.
"Jack said you came up with the best names. Well someday, if there is a someday, you can name all the things we are discovering I can do. At least this way I can better understand it for Tina. I hope I can show her what she is. I would hate to leave her an orphan and unprotected." His tiny smile told that he didn't see that as an end to the tale yet.
"Can't you tell what is going to happen?" Ianto looked past Sean as a star went super Nova and exploded. "Now that was cool!" His eyes danced at the experience.
"Not this future, it is not a fixed point, like Jack, just something that can change. Despite what everyone says about time, even the Doctor, it changes a lot. Histories change, outcomes may vary. Jack even said last night that the only real information about this time was…"
"Was that 'the 21st century is when it all changes.' Yeah I know. He is rather vague about it. Which means he doesn't know or didn't know what happened that changed it. I think I just confused myself." Ianto Jones smirked.
"Yes exactly, and him being a fixed point doesn't help. It doesn't make him indestructible. Rather leaves him open to a lot of pain and torment. At least he said he would let me fight Paul alone. I can't worry about him. Paul is just mad enough to have a field day with him." Sean looked at the universe floating past them and thought about bringing Jack here when it was all over. At least he had a positive thought that it would be over in a good way. Maybe that would be enough to stop Paul. It was the battle that was the problem.
Ianto told Sean what he needed to hear, it came to him in a flash of memory, that it had been stored to be activated when a pass code had been entered. Somehow that is what this conversation did, opened the information that Sean needed.
"He told me that in time I would be called upon to help you. Sending me back to Eden, he hid a message for you in my mind. Now it has been opened for you to see."
Ianto vanished as Sean's creator took his place. "May I call you son? For that is what you are to me. I made you to be the closest to my kind possible. How many we were Sean, vast as the stars. We sealed our fate and condemned ourselves to death by staying on this beautiful planet Earth. Sean, son, you can win but you have to defeat Paul without taking his life. I know this seems like an impossibility, but it isn't. It will come to you, when the rain starts and the world goes dark, the answer will come. I wish I could be there, but I have gone to the place where I was born; someday you can see it as well. But first, get Paul to Eden; fight him there away from the earth. At least if you fail, he won't be able to leave. For once he is in the world you've created; he can't exit if you are dead. He is not aware of that. His hate for you will force him to find you. Ianto can lead him there. I wish I could be there to help you, my son. Someday we can greet each other and smile." Sean reached to touch his other father as the image faded, leaving him with Ianto.
"Guess since I can go anywhere, I'll get Paul to Eden. He will see me now. I have been compromised." Ianto captured Sean's eyes with his own.
"If you can start that, I can reinforce Eden. I can keep Jack and the others safe by making sure Paul is locked in. I'm sorry it means that Liam, the others and you are on the chopping block. I wish I could give you another home, Ianto. I'm sorry, this may mean a trip back to the darkness again." Sean reached for Ianto and hugged him.
The love that went through Ianto was not unnoticed. Sean's pain was also there as Ianto grabbed hold and hugged back. "Hey, it was fun; I'm glad that I had this time to be again. No worries, I owe you, and I owe Jack. Who I'm sure will beat down the walls if you don't come back."
Sean moved away to study Ianto for a moment. "He isn't allowed to, I told him I need him to keep Hope safe, that he has to be there for Tina and the others. He thinks he can solve this. But I have gotten him to a point where he isn't going in guns a blazing." Sean smiled at Ianto.
"Oh, but he is so magnificent when he does that. He goes all Captain, Tosh used to call it. He was so stunning." A dreamy look came over Ianto as he went to his Jack spot.
"I wish you could see that look on your face. Ianto, I owe you for this. Are you ready? This is going to be painful when he sees you, when he gets hold of you. Just fight for a bit, like you were a caught spy, then submit and bring him to Eden. Don't play the hero; he is going to torture it out of you. He used to do it to me after Liam died. How can anyone kill the ones they love?" Sean's last part made Ianto aware of the sadism he was going to experience.
"I do my best, for Jack, Liam, you and Earth. Sean don't worry, I'm still dead, so really it doesn't matter. Thanks, for Jack, for all of it. See you in Eden."
Sean opened the portal alerting Paul to the Welshman's presence. Focused on the next step, Sean returned to the cottage to spend one more day with the ones he loved.
Jack's hair was still ruffled as he walked into the kitchen with just his pants and t-shirt on. The smell of coffee awoke him to an empty bed. He assumed Sean was getting ready for the day and also for his confrontation with Paul. He pushed that thought out of the way as Gwen and Martha giggled at him from their seats at the table.
"What?" He eyed the picnic baskets on the counter.
"You're not even wearing socks, you look almost human. I thought you just slept in your clothes. Unless you took them off for a better reason," Gwen teased, earning her a towel tossed at her head.
"I'm not that kind of person, Gwen. Besides coffee first, chatter later." He took the first sip and sighed, feeling the caffeine rush course through his veins. "Ah... much better." He took a seat at the table. He smiled, as the women just looked him. Sipping his coffee he started to feel uncomfortable. "What?" He asked for the second time.
"Nothing, we are just trying to put the pieces of the new Jack together. Really, you are very different," Martha said.
Jack pouted at them. "Don't it isn't really that fantastic. This is how I was before I met the Doctor. More casual. I just got that 'groove' back. I just don't feel like the other Jack right now. Don't know if it is a good thing. But most of the important skills are still there." He winked at the two, causing them all to explode in laughter.
"Well I like this Jack as well, just takes a bit getting used to. Oh, Sean is outside with Tina and as he calls it, Ianto the bird. His Da and Sun Cat came by with those picnic baskets. They went with Rhys, Andy and Alice to the Machine tent. God I wish Ianto was here to name some of the things around here. I would make the explanations easier." She paused to make sure that Jack was okay. He just smiled back at her sipping his coffee. Sipping, she mused not gulping his coffee. "Anyway, we are going to all meet up around 10am here and head to the stream. So I would put socks on and another shirt. Or is this a naked picnic for you?"
He laughed, spitting coffee out. "You are never going to drop that are you, Mrs. Williams? Oh, you so should have joined in that day. Ianto was hot and bothered just thinking about…"
"Stop right there! I don't want to hear what you two thought after I interrupted."
"What you actually saw them… you know?" Martha chimed in.
"Well not exactly that, but it was enough to make the brain shut down a bit. Never did go into the hot house again unless I had to." Gwen loved teasing Jack.
"I thought you avoided plant duty for that very reason. But did you really think that Myfanwy's nest wasn't christened by us as well?" He looked at Martha. "She took over feeding her on occasion. Instead of the hot house."
"Gross, that poor creature! Jack, have you no shame?" Appalled, Gwen got up to put her mug in the sink.
"No." Came the quick response from the Immortal.
Martha lost it, falling out of her chair and onto the floor.
"Death by laughter, that isn't uncommon." Jack said as he got up to help Dr. Jones to her feet.
Giggles and shrieks of glee were heard through the partly opened window. Jack walked over to have a look. There was Sean and Tina in the garden in what seemed to be a haze of pollen and seed fluff. Sean was walking around, the sun shining on his hair making it seem almost lit up in a golden brown haze. Jack smiled at his angel and a thought crossed his mind. He was going to go out and enjoy this moment with the both of them. Make it the three of them, just then Ianto the bird sat on the windowsill and chirped at Jack.
"Okay I'll be out, just let me get a refill." The bird chirped in response and flew to rest on Sean's head.
"Jack, are you going to put socks on before you go out?" Gwen's mother instinct kicked in.
Jack glanced at his feet and shook his head no. Out of the house he strolled while the sun warmed his body. He sipped his coffee as he came closer to what in his eyes were two giggling children. It was then that Jack saw where the fluff was coming from.
Sean was walking in a circle lifting each foot up and down carefully. As he walked plant life sprung up and began to flower. With each step more were created. Tina would step on the flowers and they would go to seed, creating the fluff of seedpods and yellow pollen. With a little effort she would sweep her hand and the wind would blow the fluff into the air and it would begin to travel.
Jack watched the substances fly up and away in fluffy clouds all while a gleeful child laughed and danced around the cottony whirlwind. It was magical, it was amazing. It was so Sean to come up with a way for a child to enjoy her abilities. He stood silently and watched.
Ianto the bird had other plans. She, yes she, had a reason for luring the Immortal out of the safety of the kitchen. The devil bird had planned it all along. Without warning she left Sean's head and aimed a path straight for Jack. Jack being so engrossed in the play before him never saw it coming. Blue Bird Ianto swooped in and with skill, stole a bunch of Jack's hair off the top of his head leaving a bleeding bald spot. Jack screamed causing Sean to turn around to see Jack cursing and holding the top of his head.
"Jack!" He ran to his lover as Martha and Gwen came out of the kitchen. Martha ran to Jack with her kit in hand.
"Fuck!!! That bird just ripped the hair from my head. What the hell did I do that for? I thought we were getting along." He continued to suck in air with the pain.
Martha pried his hand away to have a look. "Oh dear, I hope it grows back, I mean when you heal, it will grow back right?" She made a yuck face at the rather large path of hair that was missing form Jack's scalp.
Gwen tried not to giggle at the face Jack made when he heard Martha's word.
Sean was looking at the wound and hid the giggle from Jack.
"I heard that, laughing boy! What kind of hell bird did you help? He attacked my vanity. This is war!" Jack huffed trying not to let the pain take control.
"Well, if it was your vanity she wanted you would be rolling around screaming right now. I don't think she wanted that, but something of you because of your scent. It makes for good bedding for her young." Sean put a hand on Jack's shoulder and looked sideways into his lover's eyes.
"It is a she and she's going to be a mom! That is no excuse." He winced as Martha applied an ointment to numb the pain.
"Jack you mean a lot to her, she took your hair for bedding for her nest, so when her young hatch they will be warmed by you. I think it is cute."
"Cute! She didn't take your hair!" He was not convinced until Sean planted a big kiss on his lips. "So she thinks I'm warm." He smiled at his lover.
"She isn't the only one." He leaned in again.
"Hello, doctor at work here." Martha chimed in.
"Thanks Martha, I really didn't want to be afraid to go in to the garden." Gwen joked earning a growl from Jack.
"Ouch that hurts!! Please just leave it, and stop touching it." Jack moved away from Martha.
Sean, Martha and Gwen started to laugh uncontrollably. Tina came up scrunching her face up at the adults. Soon Alice, Andy, Rhys, Phil, and Mickey were gathered at the trinity laughing at Jack.
"What the hell is so funny??" He yelled.
"I was nowhere near your wound Jack, it already healed." Martha smirked.
"Really?" He blinked, joining them in their laughter. He reached for the spot on his head and felt the soft hairs growing back in place. He winked at Sean.
With that said and done, Sun Cat and Peter showed and the group headed for the stream.
Sean hung back for a bit to glance towards the direction by Elaine's tombstone and Eden. He estimated that he only had a few more hours until Paul was in Eden. Time being as precious as it is he had better make the most of it.
"Jack, don't you want to wear your shoes?" He called to his Immortal lover.
"No." Said the Immortal God. "I feel like being barefoot for a bit." He waited for Sean to catch up. Holding hands with the sun overhead, they went to enjoy what could be their last hours together.
Ianto screamed as the blade came down.
Phil watched the group but suddenly turned to see a dark cloud out of place in the brilliant blue sky.
He began to think of the journal he was keep. A later entry that day stated:
"We sat and enjoyed the sun for a bit. In the hours that were to come a head we would watch the effects that the Gods war had on Mother Earth with fear. If all failed we would be tied to our worst nightmares and on crippled knees we would pray that Sean would bring the light. Our Gods thrashed it out on the land of New Eden, we believed. For we could feel the battle in the lands direction, but we could not see it with are human eyes. Even the Time God's lover, the Immortal one sat still as he strained to hear any sound that his lover was victorious."
End Chapter 37 TBC