Title: Hitting the Ground Running

Fandom: Torchwood

Rating: Adult

Pairing: Primarily Jack/Ianto, with other secondary pairings mentioned

Chapter: 38/47-ish (look! An actual number!)

Word Count: 3226

Summary: AU. Majorly AU. Ianto Jones first encountered Torchwood as a teenager trying to leave his old life behind. However, when Torchwood Three gets rather violently restructured at the start of the millennium, he's got a new assignment in Cardiff. The only thing he wasn't prepared for was his new boss.

Disclaimer: …You really think it's mine? Much as I might wish it was, it isn't. I will go on the record and say that, unlike the show's creative team, I firmly believe in happy endings.

Notes: At the end :) Just let it be said I liked this episode for three reasons. 1: Andy. 2: The scenery at Flat Holm is GORGEOUS. 3: The scene. THAT scene. You all know which scene I'm talking about…

Chapter Thirty-Eight

In Which Jack and Ianto go 'Weevil Hunting,' Visit a Lighthouse, and Do Some Gardening

"What did you tell her?"

"Weevil hunting," Jack replied between kisses, pushing Ianto's coat from his shoulders and staring on the buttons of his shirt. "Although I have to confess, Mr. Jones, that after our morning antics, was it really necessary to tell me to get dressed before I came out here? I was still working on my belt when Gwen barged in…"

"That'll teach you to not wear braces and a belt, sir. Honestly," Ianto was undoing Jack's belt as they spoke, "with your track record, it seems odd that you're trying to keep people from getting your trousers off."

"They just need to…ah…work for it…" Jack groaned as Ianto finally got the belt done and pushed his braces down, rubbing him through his trousers. "How far are we…"

"Talked to Andy. He said that he and Gwen are heading out for drinks after to discuss the boy's disappearance. I told him what we know, but he promised not to let her in on it. How long are we letting her think she's the first one to discover this, again?"

"Until…God, Ianto…until she figures it out. You know…she's impossible unless she's working on something, and this at least will give her…a project for a while…" Jack panted as Ianto unzipped him and drew his cock out, stroking him to hardness with experienced fingers as Jack threw his head back against the seat-rest. "There's gotta be a better way than in the SUV, Ian…"

"You know my policy about fooling around in the workplace, sir. I'm compromising for your sake," Ianto was stroking him slowly, tortuously slowly, and Jack gripped the seat to keep himself from taking over. He knew that if he tried Ianto would only slow the process down more, and he didn't think he could take that.

Ianto's portable Rift monitor shocked them both, and he rolled his eyes and took it from his pocket, glaring at the screen. "You're never going to believe this, Jack."

"Tell me it's not an actual Weevil?"

"Looks like we'll be going Weevil hunting after all," Ianto returned. "Later, then?"

Jack closed his eyes and concentrated, relying on his time-honed technique to get his body under control, and he quickly righted his clothes and hopped into the driver's seat. "Later."

000

"Don't you think we're being just a bit cruel to her?" Andy asked later that evening, sitting in a cozy coffee shop with Tosh and Ianto.

"Andy, you've known her longer than we have," Ianto noted, sipping at a cappuccino that, he had to admit, wasn't half-bad. "When she latches onto something, it's best to let it run its course."

"So, you've known all along that this Rift of yours takes things as well as letting things through," Andy was staring at them almost accusingly, and Tosh nodded.

"It's only natural, and Gwen should have figured that out a long time ago. After all, Diane, Emma and John came through the Rift from 1953, and Jack and I were sent through to 1941 and then returned," she explained.

"So what's the problem? This Jonah boy…he's back, isn't he?"

"Yes, but…" Ianto wondered how the best way to explain the whole situation was before he continued. "Time isn't linear. We think of it as a line, going day-to-day, but to people who time travel, and to the Rift, time is just a jumble of lines going every which way. Jonah came back, yes, but he came back thirty or so years into his future even though it hasn't been nearly that long for us…"

"And some people are lucky," Tosh cut in. "Some people disappear and re-appear in the past or future, coming from Cardiff to Cardiff, and then they can be rehabilitated easily; a name change here or there, a bit of adjusting for new technology, and they're good to go. But sometimes the Rift spits them out on hostile planets, and if it ever does send them back, they've either aged several years or else been affected in some way: scarred physically or mentally or just plain mad," she looked sad, and Andy finally nodded in understanding.

"So their families can't know, I get that. But what happens to them?"

"Well," Ianto looked hesitant. "Before Jack took over Torchwood, honestly they were…"

"God, you people were barbaric," Andy muttered. "Not you, of course, but before…"

"Torchwood never prided itself on bunnies and rainbows, Andy," Ianto's mouth quirked in a wry smile. "Regardless, when Jack took over, he decided that this particular tradition needed to change, and he set up a facility using the old barracks on Flat Holm Island."

"So what do you tell the people looking after these…Rift victims, then?"

"Government experiments," Tosh steepled her hands and glanced at Andy over the top of her glasses. "There's no other explanation, really, and I'm not entirely sure that they don't realize something's up."

"But," Ianto added hastily, "Nobody's said anything about it, yet, so we're hopeful at the moment."

"Poor things," Andy stared into his coffee and sighed. "I suppose that it hardly helps thinking like that, though. After all, it isn't as if any of us are safe, not really. If this Rift of yours takes things as easily as you say, it could swallow us at any moment."

"We…try not to think about that," Tosh admitted. "And I've been working on a programme that predicts both positive…that's when something comes through…and negative Rift spikes, although it's nearly impossible to predict the negative ones. However, I'm confident I can figure it out."

"Well, if anybody can, it's you," Andy told her honestly. "You're bloody brilliant, Tosh."

Toshiko blushed and stared at her hands until Ianto broke the silence. "Regardless, when…not if, Tosh, when…you get that program working, we'll be able to clear the areas where negative Rift spikes are to occur so as not to incur any more casualties."

"You lot really are heroes, now, you know?" Andy looked at both of them fondly. "You're doing so much for the people of city, and they'll never even know about it."

"And we're fine with that. We don't want to be superheroes," Tosh cringed at the thought. "We just want to help, that's all."

"And we're doing what we can," Ianto nodded firmly. "But this isn't about us; this is about Gwen."

"Right. So you're going to give her a clue, are you?"

"As obvious as I can make it," Ianto smiled. "You'll help us out?"

"Of course," Andy drained his coffee before standing and replacing his cap. "Well, I'm off, mates. Keep me updated."

"Will do," Ianto promised, and Andy tipped his cap to them both before leaving the café.

000

"Sir, are you quite sure…"

"Tosh and Owen are out for lunch…well, Tosh is out for lunch; Owen is just tagging along. And Rhys said he was taking Gwen out for a picnic, so we've got at least an hour," Jack mumbled in-between kisses. "Besides, we never got to finish…"

"Owen's going to kill us…"

"Oh, like we've never done it in the autopsy bay," Jack smirked against his skin, tongue darting out to taste Ianto's neck.

"Yes, but the hothouse? Are you quite sure that…" Ianto gasped as Jack finally got his belt undone and unceremoniously jammed his hands down Ianto's pants, fondling his rapidly hardening cock. "Ah, God, Jack…are you quite sure that there's nothing poisonous in here? I don't want to end up with a purple rash just because…because you're impatient…"

"Hmm, where's your sense of adventure, Mr. Jones?" Jack reprimanded him playfully, nipping at his pulse as Ianto managed somehow to get his hands into Jack's own trousers.

In retrospect, Ianto figured that he should have heard the door alarm go off, but Jack was being rather distracting, and as such he hardly noticed Gwen had come back early until..

"Jack, I…oh, God! Sorry!"

Ianto shoved Jack away and hiked his trousers up, opting for holding them closed as he threw his shirt over his shoulders and rushed out after the woman. "Er…"

"Ianto, I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"

"It doesn't matter," Ianto was trying to hold his trousers up and re-button his shirt at the same time, although he wasn't having much success.

"And I wouldn't have come in if I'd known…"

"Really, Gwen, it's okay," Jack came out, and Ianto groaned at his lover's current state of cocky undress: shirt on but unbuttoned and trousers left completely open, and he noticed Gwen's gaze dart down before a blush covered her pale cheeks and she quickly raised her eyes again. "We didn't think you'd be back so soon, that's all."

"I want to run something by you," Gwen tried to compose herself and compulsively straightened her shirt before looking straight into Jack's eyes. "Jonah Bevan. The missing boy. I'll make it my own special project. My responsibility, nothing to do with anyone else. I'm not letting it go."

"No," Jack said firmly, enough ice in his voice that, even though Ianto knew Jack was in on it, he had to check to be sure the older man was merely acting.

"What?" Gwen sounded confused.

"I don't know how I can be any clearer," Jack enunciated, proudly raising his chin and looking down at Gwen.

"Oh, well…" Gwen gave him a coy glance in return. "Tosh has her projects. So does Ianto. Why can't I?"

"Leave it alone," Jack growled.

"I. Can't," Gwen replied slowly, daring Jack to contradict her. Ianto, for his part, was feeling a tad uncomfortable being caught in the middle but the narrow walkway hardly afforded him room to move. Jack kept his cool gaze on Gwen for a few seconds before abruptly focusing on Ianto, his pose instantly more relaxed and his tone holding obvious fondness.

"Coming back in? Work to do."

"Yup," Ianto nodded, turning to follow Jack back into the hothouse.

"Jack!" Gwen called. "We're not finished."

Jack smirked at her before sliding his shirt down his arms and dropping it on the floor, hands slipping down to the waistband of his trousers. "Yes, we are."

Jack!

What? Jack's mind-voice sounded offended. I'm hardly going to show her anything!

You're hopeless. "There's a package on your desk," he told Gwen before pursing his lips and nodding, pushing the hothouse door open to follow Jack inside.

They could hear Gwen clomping along the metal walkway, and Jack admirably held it together before he started to laugh, clapping a hand over his mouth to stifle the noise.

"You, sir, are horrible."

"What, my acting wasn't good?" Jack looked mock-offended.

"Your acting was too good," Ianto rebutted. "I half-expected you to ask her to join in."

"Never. You're mine and mine alone," Jack was giving him one of the eerily intense stares again, and Ianto dropped his eyes to avoid thinking about what it could possibly mean.

"Yes. Well," Ianto shuffled his feet and looked back at Jack. "Are we…continuing this, then?"

"No more wondering about poisonous alien flora?"

"None," Ianto hooked an arm around Jack's neck and pulled him into a fiery kiss, all thoughts of Gwen pushed firmly to the back of his mind.

000

"Remind me…why…we've never done this…before?" Ianto asked, finding it remarkably hard to think about talking and breathing and…

"You said it was too…impersonal," Jack sounded far too composed as he stroked into Ianto from behind, bending him over the table in the hothouse as Ianto groaned and scrabbled for purchase on the slick surface. He was inwardly glad that Owen kept the place at a reasonable temperature for raising tropical plants or the metal table would have been far too cold to be comfortable.

Well, it is, Ianto switched to talking that way; it was just easier at the moment. But if I had known that you could get the perfect angle…

"So, you're doing me next time?"

Couldn't keep me away for anything, Ianto tried to smile but his mouth opened in a gasp as Jack reached to grip his cock, jerking him off in time with his own thrusts into Ianto's body, and Ianto finally got a grip on the sides of the table as he shuddered and came, too worn out to even properly moan.

He lay half-over the table in a rather boneless, sated state, registering Jack finding his own release only in the back of his mind, although he did notice when his lover draped over him like a too-warm sweaty blanket. "Mmph. Off."

"I thought the post-coital haze was supposed to last longer," Jack sighed wistfully.

"In a bed, maybe, but not when you're crushing me into a table. Which, by the way, has sharp edges," Ianto winced and managed to shake Jack off, standing and sighing at the state of his trousers. "I'm off to change."

"Mm, c'mere," Jack pulled him over for a kiss. "That was okay?"

"Of course."

"I…do like it better when I can see you, you know," Jack admitted softly. "I love seeing you when you come. I love being able to kiss you when we're…"

"Making love?" Ianto supplied, and Jack looked relieved.

"I was going to say that, but I was afraid you'd think it too sappy."

"Mm, I can deal with sappy once in a while," Ianto assured him. "Now. Coffee before Round Two?"

"As if I'd say no. And perhaps we should…move to the bedroom?"

"I'd hardly argue with that," Ianto wandered out into the Hub, barely starting the coffee machine when his phone beeped at him, and he picked it up and balanced it on his shoulder to keep his hands free. "Hello?"

"You left me that package, didn't you?" Gwen's voice was lightly accusatory, and Ianto sighed and shifted the phone to his other shoulder.

"Ianto!"

Patience, sir. "I dunno what you mean," he told Gwen breezily, the fact that he was concentrating on the coffee making it easier to sound nonchalant.

"Ianto, what's going on..."

"Ianto!"

Coming! "Bye, Gwen."

"Ianto, don't you…" she started, but he pressed the 'end' button on his mobile before scooping up the coffee and heading to Jack's office.

000

"Thought I'd find you here."

Ianto turned around quickly, although he'd heard Jack stomping up the metal stairs of the lighthouse so the older man had officially lost the element of surprise. "It's beautiful here. There's just this…quality to the whole place that's…"

"I know," Jack replied softly, stepping to stand beside the young man. "You feel so removed out here, even though Cardiff is just a short boat ride away."

"Exactly," Ianto breathed in the tangy air and smiled, looking remarkably content.

"You look happy."

"I am," Ianto said quickly, and while once he might have been amazed at the fact, it was becoming more and more common as time went along.

I'm glad.

Sir?

I hate to see you upset, Jack replied simply, not looking at Ianto as he stared out at the ocean.

"How did Gwen take Flat Holm, sir?"

"As well as can be expected. She wants to bring Jonah's mother out to see him."

"And is that wise?" Ianto turned quickly to Jack, but the older man was still staring at the water.

"Probably not in the long run. But she needs to learn, Ianto, and you and I both know that this is the only way. If we have to…we can Retcon his mother, wipe the last couple of days so she never remembers seeing him or being scarred by what he has become," Jack didn't sound overly enthused at the prospect, but Ianto had to admit that at the moment it seemed to be the only feasible solution.

"That sounds about right to me, sir," he finally admitted, and out of the corner of his eye he visibly saw the tension in Jack's posture lessen. "You were afraid I would disapprove?"

"I know how you feel about things like that," Jack said cautiously. "And I know that it's unfair of me to pull this woman into something she has no right to be a part of, but…"

"You're the boss, sir," Ianto interrupted.

"Yeah. Guess I am," Jack stood a little taller and finally turned to look at Ianto, giving him one of his normal charming grins. "Sometimes I really hate it, though."

"Taking responsibility is good for you," Ianto chided him gently, reaching for Jack's hand and inwardly smiling when the older man grasped his immediately. "But we'd best get back; no telling what the Rift decides to throw at us today."

"Right as usual, Mr. Jones," Jack let go of his hand and circled his arm around Ianto's shoulders instead, turning him away from the view and leading him over to the long staircase.

000

"And there she goes," Owen leant back against the sofa, spreading his arms along the top of it and holding the television remote in his good hand. He, Tosh and Ianto were sitting in Tosh's flat, watching the CCTV camera from outside the Hub capture Gwen walking speedily away. "Feel almost bad for her, don't you?"

"Almost," Ianto conceded, taking a sip from his beer bottle. "But you can't deny that she brought it upon herself."

…Ianto?

Sir?

Where are you?

Jack sounded exhausted, Ianto thought glumly, and he set his beer down on a coaster before replying. Over at Tosh's.

Want some more company?

I wouldn't say 'no' to you, Jack. You sound like you need some company, he pointed out, getting a weak chuckle in return.

True enough. I'll be there shortly.

"Jack's coming," he announced, out of the blue, and Owen groaned.

"Hate it when you do that."

"Sorry. It's not like I know when he's going to talk to me," Ianto muttered, picking up his drink again. "And sorry for that," he finally sighed. "I know I'm being snippy, but Jack's obviously stressed and he's broadcasting like crazy."

"Nah, no worries," Owen dropped his arm across Ianto's shoulders. "He's a bit of a wreck, is he?"

"I think he's guilty. We'll have to Retcon the mother now, based on what Gwen's said, because it's obvious she was better off when she still had some hope of finding her son the same way he'd been when he was taken," Ianto explained.

"That would make sense," Tosh reasoned, placing a hand on Ianto's knee and smiling at him. "But Jack will know what's best. And if he doesn't, you'll advise him."

"I'd like to think so," Ianto sighed, and Owen changed the channel, the three of them watching the match for a few minutes until the door opened and Jack came in, his eyes darting around to take in the three on the sofa as he kicked off his boots and hung his coat up.

"Come on, Owen," Tosh gestured to the large armchair beside the sofa and Owen huffed and moved over, Jack giving her a small smile of thanks as he made his way to the sofa.

You okay?

No. But I will be, Jack assured him, sitting down beside Ianto and glancing around once more before pulling him close, curling up beside him and letting the younger man hold him tightly.

Ianto looked at Tosh and Owen, both of whom were staring at them curious before turning back to the television, and Ianto realized that while he was perfectly accustomed to seeing Jack break down and having to help him put himself together again, Jack rarely showed such a normal human weakness in front of his other team members.

"Sorry," Jack mumbled, and Ianto kissed his hair.

"It's fine."

"Yes," Tosh blinked. "Can I get you anything, Jack?"

"Tea, if you have it," Jack partially sat up and sniffed, wiping a hand across his eyes. "Don't think coffee would be the best thing at the moment."

"Sure thing," Tosh got off the sofa and headed to the kitchen, and Owen immediately made some mundane comment about the score on the telly. Ianto was grateful to both of them for not making this into a big deal, and he could tell by the way that Jack relaxed by increments against him that the older man was, too.

Additional Notes: Yes, I have a timeline planned out for the ending, and if my chapters work out the way I expect them to there will probably be 47 (however, things change all the time, so that number could fluctuate slightly!). It'll be strange finishing this story because I've been working on it so long, but I already have another TW fic planned out in my head, so hopefully I can start to write that one!

Also, this story has the MOST REVIEWS I'VE EVER GOTTEN, so I owe you all an ENORMOUS thank-you and I'm so happy it has been well-received ^_^

A couple of last things: some of the bits I especially liked from the BBC website on this episode:

1. Ianto's e-mail to Gwen:

Gwen

Andy called for you while you were out... on the secure emergency line. Could you have a word with him about that please? We don't call it the emergency line just because we like words with lots of syllables.

Speaking of which, you might like to tell him there's no such word as 'portentious'. It's 'portentous'.

Ianto (mostly because Ianto's so snarky in it. Hee xP)

2. This part of Jack's 'Captain's Blog:' Seeing Gwen experience it for the first time took me right back to when I first heard that terrible scream. After Gwen had gone home, I just held on to Ianto for a couple of hours, as tightly as I could. (Why couldn't THIS have been in the episode?)

That's all, really. Sorry for rambling! If you want to check out the rest of the things on the episode, here's the link: community(.)livejournal(.)com/iantos(_)desktop/7648(.)html