38

Ianto heard the change in Jack's breathing as he woke, responding to whatever had woken him as well.

Ianto was sitting up in the nest with a frown, canting his head as he tried to remember where he had heard that noise before.

"What was it?" Jack asked as he reached for his pants.

"It was a … grinding noise, like a groaning or …." Ianto stopped talking as he felt a chill, "A Tardis."

Jack was gone, running in his bare feet as Ianto fell back with a groan.

Soon the Doctor was in the room and Ianto turned to welcome him, only to feel a great pain in his chest as he stared at the Timelord.

"You!"

"Hello Ianto Jones" the Doctor smiled softly, "Like the new face?"

"You! You … you …" Ianto was shaking as he backed away, hitting the wall as he started to cry, "You .. don't …. don't. … don't' take my Jax again, please not again."

"Ah!" the Doctor frowned, "You have your memories. Um."

"You took him from me as Hendry, you took him from me as Ianto, please, please don't take him now I am nobody."

"Nobody?" Jack said softly, "Darling, you aren't nobody, you are my beautiful mate."

Ianto looked at him with open sorrow, "I'm sorry I am not good enough, I cannot provide for you as you do for me, oh my love."

Jack rushed to hold him as he wept.

"So. We have a problem, both lives have bled together" the doctor sighed.

"You!" Ianto left Jack and rushed towards the Doctor, only to have Jack hold him back, "You don't get to take my life again!"

"What is he talking about?" Jack asked.

"The Doctor is the Timelord charged with taking your memories" John said as the Doctor face palmed.

"What?" Jack asked with an icy calm.

"He is also the one who brought Ianto back here and implanted the false memories now fighting with the real one" John continued, "The one who gave me the ring and told me where you were."

"He… you … oh no" Jack's face seemed to fall apart as he looked at someone he considered a friend. "No. Not you."

"I am so sorry, I didn't want .."

Jack's fist connected and the doctor fell back with a grunt.

"Stop it!" Rhia demanded, "All of you. Stop it right now!"

"I can fix this" the Doctor assured them, "I had to wait until the timelines were right, but I can fix this now. I can give them back."

"NOW!" Jack roared.

The Doctor led them to the Tardis and Ianto hesitated at the doorway, then went in.

The doctor handed a cube to each of them and then tapped the surface.

Jack dropped his like it was hot and slammed back against the console as he hyperventilated.

"Those advanced genes are such a boon!" the Doctor said conversationally as he turned to Ianto.

Ianto simply sank to his knees as tears ran down his cheeks.

Secrets were whispered in the dark as they were illuminated, empty voids were filled sound and fury.

Ianto calmly placed the cube down and rose, straightening his back as he straightened his clothes with shaking hands.

"You see" The Doctor was saying to Owen, "Hendry and Ianto were both fighting for dominance, for room within his mind. Both couldn't exist in unison with so many polar moments. Those planted memories were clashing with the realities. Now the truth had been restored, those personalities will bleed together and the placed ones, like his childhood as a human will appear as a story told."

"So, Hendry and Ianto were too much" Owen frowned.

"Yes, they slammed together, then retreated to their separate corners. All that was left was the regressed Teddykin." The Doctor smiled as he saw Ianto in the doorway, "This was neither Ianto or Hendry. The Teddykin was forced to take over to survive."

Ianto blinked.

"I am not .. I am not a teddy?" he said calmly.

"No, you were confused. You are Teddykin, but also human. The human element was retarded, forcing the alien component to act" the Doctor preened, "now you can be normal again!"

"Retarded?" Ianto looked at his friends as they all nodded happily and burst into tears.

"I'm not ..." Ianto's hands shook as he touched his stomach, "I'm not with cub either, am I!"

"No, definitely not!" the Doctor laughed, "The Tardis would have said so, no. You are just fat!"

"Doctor!" Rhia hissed with horror as Ianto paled, then pushed past them.

He raced to the bedroom and their nest, flinging himself at his nest with a snarl of rage.

He tore at the bedding, ripping the nest apart as he screamed, roared and ranted at himself for his stupidity.

Then he looked at the wardrobe and fell to his knees, pulling the drawer out and slinging it into the middle of the room.

The baby things scattered about as he stomped on them, screaming with grief and pain.

Then he fled to the Orchard, seeking the open space to scream at the gods.