To touch, yet touch not ever again, sad at heart forever.
Mark felt much better with Jack asleep next to him. The dreams weren't as bad but this closeness had to stop. He needed Jack too much once again. That wasn't right but these patterns with Jack, he knew, were far too easy to fall into. So he snuggled in close, one last time before drifting back off to sleep. Leon woke him again by shaking him. "Papa, I saw a ghost."
Jack bolted up and frightened Leon with his savage blue eyes. The boy let out a howl followed by tears.
"Thanks Jack, make it up to him now!" Mark hefted himself out of bed suddenly aware that he was bigger yet again. "Leon, crawl into bed and tell your Uncle what a mean man he is for scaring you." He kissed his son on the head and waddled over to the bathroom, first checking on Jolein. She wasn't there. "Where is your sister?"
"She is with Hunter, it seems that the ghost was in Hunter's room as well. Jolein wanted to see it and Hunter wouldn't shut up until some one stayed with her." Leon snuggled up under the covers next to Jack. "You scared me, Uncle Jack."
"I scare myself Little Man, trust me I do." He wrapped the blanket around Leon and waited for Mark to get back. "Here, press this button on my wrist strap and ask Dan what is going on."
"Dan, this is Leon, Uncle Jack wants to know what is going on." He smiled before adding. "Does this mean I'm now a Torchwood Agent?"
Dan laughed as Jack explained. "Maybe adds to your résumé when you come for the job in say, 20 years!" He messed up Leon's hair as the boy still smiling settled down on the pillow his eyes never leaving Jack. "What's this about a ghost, Dan?"
"The Rift opened twice with in the last 20 minutes. Once in Mark's room, Jolein followed the image out of the room and then it vanished. The Rift opened up again in Hunter's room. Somehow Jolein followed it to Hunter's room claiming she wanted to see the ghost. But there was nothing there when Sally and I arrived. Sally is running a scan and taking readings on the room. We would have woken you but I didn't think it important since there is nothing to report yet."
Jack glanced at his godson making sure the boy had fallen asleep. "Right, I'm on my way." It was then Jack heard the Rift monitor sound through his wrist strap.
"Jack it is another one, this time it is in Mark's…" Mark screamed as Jack finished with, "Bathroom."
Leon jumped out of bed to go after the sound of his Papa's yell when Jack grabbed him throwing the boy back on the bed. "Leon," he whispered has he pulled his gun trying not to scare they boy. "Get out of here quietly and run to Dan." Leon nodded looking once at the bathroom door before he did what his Uncle asked.
Ben had John's head in his lap. His own head buzzed from the effects of the drug and his ass hurt in a strange way. "I guess whoever has us now found the gun!" He giggled. He didn't know why it was funny, just seemed odd that it took until now for someone to search for it. He adjusted himself against the wall. Whoever it was that took it and had the both of them, didn't seem to think them a threat. There were no restrains to be seen.
Ben knew from his experiences with the ex-Time Agent that John would have been all over this room looking for a way out. Ben on the other hand was concerned about John. He seemed to be in a deeper sleep than he was and he had not moved at all since Ben put his head in his lap.
"Sorry if I'm not very good at this spy stuff, but I don't want to leave you unattended." He knew why, he was feeling something for this man. At first his logical brain took on the argument that being so far away from his normal home and routine and thrust into a world of uncertainty, he was growing attached to John because he was insecure. But after they made love that night, John's simple easy touch and manner had Ben feeling things a little bit deeper. But that was the romantic side of the brain talking. It was also the one that got him in trouble with his feelings for Mark. "Why is it I have a tendency to fall for the bad boys? But then there is Nick. God, I am a mess." He watched John's unmoving still form and went to smooth back his hair. "Mark is lucky, I know you could never love me like you do him. But maybe that isn't such a bad thing." He moved John off his lap and placed him gently on the floor. "But now I have to do some work; grow up a bit, don't you think? I think I'm old enough to take care of us for a bit. Time to move on, right?"
He went to the door opposite them and pressed his ear against the cold metal. It was cold, smelled like graphite and dead of any sound. "Well so much for that. I just have to get creative." With escape in mind, he went about accessing the assets he had available to him in the room. He wanted John to be aware that he was more than a pretty face.
Ianto was feeling better as he quite easily slipped out of bed. He wobbled at bit before falling back down on the mattress as he listened to it squeak in protest of his weight. That made him shudder. He was hoping to get out of the room before he alerted Sergie.
Too late; the light went on and Sergie was in the doorway. "You look too ill to stand. Do you have to use the bathroom?" He was being nice; the rough edge was missing from his voice.
"Is that compassion I'm hearing or are you just happy to see me?" Ianto spread his legs a little, showing Sergie he was naked.
With a laugh Sergie was out the door and into the other part of the house. Ianto could hear things being moved around and the sound of food sizzling. "I was making dinner, yes it is night, and this place seems to be night all the time. Would you like to join me out here? As much as I like looking at you in bed, it would be nice to sit down at a table. Besides, you are over the worst part, so live a little." Whatever he was cooking hit Ianto's nose causing him to drool a little. He realized he was that hungry. "I must have nothing in my stomach except that soup." He realized.
He stood again wondering what to do about clothes. He knew Jack loved naked dinners but this wasn't Jack. So Ianto wrapped the sheet around him like a toga and headed to the other room but not before checking himself out in the mirror. "If I am feeling better, maybe I can get out of here now." Silently he thought nodding to his pale worn out face within the looking glass. "I look like I died and came back again. What the hell is with the dark circles? I was sleeping for almost…" He didn't know how long he had been a prisoner. He barely could remember when he last saw Jack. He remembered he was a little miffed that Jack didn't want him to go with them as they went out to save Cardiff yet again. Still, he didn't think he told Jack he loved him at all that day, let alone that week. But how long ago was all that?
"One week on the transport, a few days prior to that with Grey, but I was here how long?" He was frowning as he walked out to the table.
Sergie was placing the plates down and went to get something else. "Water!" He exclaimed. "Real water, I decided to treat you a little better for recovering so fast and not wasting away to nothing like I thought you would. The virus likes to eat its host. But no worries now, dig in!"
Sergie shoveled the meat and what could be potatoes onto his plate and shoveled the food into his mouth. Ianto watched the barbaric ritual, appalled at first but only until he remembered the first time he saw Jack eat. He picked up the fork and neatly served himself a small portion of meat and the white sticky paste stuff that he hoped was potatoes. He had an audience as Sergie watched the way he poured a glass of water for him first and then as Ianto filled himself a glass.
Sergie's ravenous lust for the meal stopped as Ianto carefully brought the fork to his
mouth, with the grace of a Lealme Dancer. Sergie's eyes went wide as he left his mouth
hanging open empty of food while Ianto ate. "You have grace, which has you valued at a lot higher then I imagined. My, you do know how to turn on the heat, makes me wish I was your fork!" Sergie let out a rather loud howl at his joke.
"Well at least I don't have to watch your feeding frenzy now that you are talking. If you slow down, you might actually enjoy the food." He slowly sucked on the fork after he took another bite.
"You have a little cheek!" He raised the folk carefully to his mouth mimicking Ianto a little. "Ah, yes, my mother once said that to me. But sometimes the meal has to be eaten fast or someone will take it from you. I've had that happen before. The first time I killed a man was over a bowl of rice and some shrimp. Not much to some, but when it is all you have, you do what you have to. Hey, so tell me your story. You must be rich for you seem to have breeding." Sergie took a slow bite of food watching his guest carefully across the table.
"No I'm just a guy that had a mother that loved her children to eat like humans." Ianto smiled, taking a sip of water. "Is water scarce here?" He made eye contact with those blue eyes that had him missing his Jack more.
"Yeah, where are you from? Real water on this rock is not here. We drink recycled piss water all the time. Bathe and wash our clothes in it as well. But sometimes you get lucky at love or the gaming table and you win a bottle or two of the good stuff." He took another sip. "Where do you come from?"
Ianto looked surprised at the question. He really hadn't thought of an answer because if he said Earth that would be wrong. Jack told him enough to know that most of the humans on Earth left, the ones that stayed just didn't leave planet side. But if he said Earth it would bring about to many other questions. This time Ianto was clueless as to what to say. But as if he needed to jolt something alive in Sergie, he simply said "Boeshane" as he returned to his food.
John pushed himself up off the floor and found the nice cold wall a good place to lean on. He was well aware of the bad taste in his mouth must be from Paernena Gas that was used in Time Agent operations to stop criminal element without bloodshed. Vortex Manipulator transported it into the area and time released or set off as it entered the space. It was only detected if someone could detect the VM portal opening. So it almost always went unnoticed. The taste of copper and dead rat in the back of the throat was a strong indicator that it was used.
John moved again trying to ignore the fireworks of pain behind his eyes. His groan alerted Ben. "Hey take it easy, you have been out for about five hours." He was by his side helping him sit up easier. "You had me worried."
John stared at Ben before his eyes carefully moved inside their sockets around the room. It was just the two of them, no Mark, or thank god Darby to be found. "You okay?" He found the first use of words tasting like the gas. He found his hand reach for Ben's.
Ben felt the sensation of the touch as his cheeks flush. "Yes, I was just drugged. Mark gave me to a man in a mask and then explained he was a friend. I was injected with something and woke up next to you." He smiled a little. John didn't see Ben's face; he closed his eyes to keep from throwing up.
"Damn, our stuff is still with Darby. I don't have my VM, which means no way home. Gods, I messed up big time. What the fuck was I thinking?" He smacked his head against the wall squeezing his eyes tighter.
Ben leaned in and kissed the man hoping to relax him a bit. "John, it wasn't your fault. From what I gather, Grey just outsmarted you," he said as he caressed the man's cheek trying to soothe away John's fears.
John heard "outsmarted" and his eyes flew open and he pushed Ben off of him. He stood fury rushing through his body as he punched the wall. "NO ONE OUTSMARTS ME!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.
Ben shook to his core. He didn't know how to read this person that went from a calm soul to a wild animal in five seconds. He didn't dare move and just waited for John to stop hyperventilating long enough to hear him utter "sorry".
He was still shaking when John kneeled in front of him. "Sorry is for when you do something wrong. It was me that should be saying sorry to you. Ben… I'm sorry for bringing you here. For right now this may be the end of your life. So please, forgive me?"
John reached out, pulling the blond to him. He wanted nothing more than for his body to help ease the younger man away from fear. If they were to die then let them have a human moment sharing each other to help them out of this world.
The image before Mark was distorted as if his eyes were not focusing well at the moment. He could barely tell it was a man, a young one at that as it shifted in and out of his reality. He knew it was human, for the most part, but he couldn't tell what it wanted.
"I want nothing," he said into Mark's head. "I just wanted to see you, like this." The image caressed Mark's thoughts filling him with unmistakable love.
"But who are you?" He managed to get out before the image faded.
Jack found him staring as he entered, his gun pointing at the empty room. Mark looked at him and sighed. "I'm as clueless as you look right now. Whoever or whatever he was Jack, he is gone now." Unmistakable love was running around his being allowing NG to stir just a little.
Jack stood silently, his gun still pointing just to make sure everything was as Mark said. Dan entered the bathroom with a scanner as Gwen backed him up with her gun. "Well Jack, it seems that you have your undershirt on backwards." She pointed at the tag in front putting her gun away. "Anything useful we can use here?"
"No, nothing I find I even understand." Mark pointed out as he eyed the toilet.
"We're clear here. Mark, what was it?" Dan continued one more sweep pausing to watch Jack reverse his shirt. Gwen smirked, earning a growl from her boss.
"I'm not sure, but it seemed to come in peace. It just wanted to see me." He leaned on the wall still eyeing the toilet. "And to top it off, NG is starving and I really have to pee, so if you don't mind, all of you out."
They didn't have to be told as Dan was alerted of the Rift Monitor going off yet again. Anna was howling that a ghost was in the autopsy bay. "Stay here." Jack pointed to Mark.
Mark nodded point at his large middle. "I would need a forklift to get out of here anyway. Do me a favor? When the thing leaves, bring me breakfast. I think NG is not going to stop punching my side until he eats!"
With the party's departure the room went silent and Mark was alone. He started to think of the stranger. Worse yet was the dream he didn't have time to tell Jack about. He remembered John but through his own eyes with Darby in a room. This other Mark, one much younger sent him a message as his younger self kissed John. With his thoughts open, John got a message through to Mark, or Mark got one to John because John's was cut off. He only remembered one word. "Lovely" echoed in his head making his temples pound. He felt a little dizzy with all this back and forth through time stuff. So after a difficult time in the bathroom he returned his great form back to bed. Lying on his side, he closed his eyes with a sigh letting all the memories come to the surface. Now he knew he was complete for his past and present met, leaving the future as his only unknown path.
Sergie asked Ianto all sort of questions about Boeshane. And Ianto in true fashion answered them. He also explained to Sergie that he lived there for a short time before he was sent off to school. Sergie barely ate while Ianto chattered on about this place and that. Ianto feeling clever in his area knowledge about the colony and also thinking of all those long nights with Jack he was able to pry the information about his home world out of the Immortal.
Sergie then smirk before out right laughing when Ianto explained about the Aquamarine Waters in the southern peninsula's tail. "You had me going there, Alfred, until you got to the Aquamarine waters. They are at the western end only. Why are you pulling my leg with these lies?" He rose and effectively slammed his fist down at the table.
Ianto jumped dropping his fork. The room grew silent as the glasses of water settled when the table stopped moving. Ianto forced his eyes up at Sergie. "I didn't know any other place; I'm just not from around here…" He didn't have a chance as Sergie reached over the table and picked Ianto up by his neck. With a quick movement he threw him to the ground.
"I hate liars! You had me going there, believing you and making me think of you as a real person. Well that my friend, is over." He ran around to the man and picked him up off the floor as he dragged him back to the bedroom. "I should beat you, but that would just damage you for the market, but I have an idea." He ripped off the sheet Ianto was wearing, careful not to get too attracted to the frightened man before him. He had an idea of what to do but it was to teach this upstart a lesson, not for enjoyment.
"Please, don't! Sergie it was a mistake. I just want to get back to my husband. Please, don't hurt me!" Ianto was down on his knees pleading with his captor not to harm him.
"So tell me why is he so important? Lie all you want this time. I won't fall for any of it. He must have trained you so well to make you want to get back home with him." He watched as Ianto stood, retrieving the sheet to cover him self up. Sergie admired the man for some reason. It must be the fact that he was able to love someone despite all the shit life threw at him. "Is he rich?" He sat down on the bed, waiting for his answer.
Ianto gulped but began his story. If he could get Sergie to understand his plight, he may just be able to get home. He went near the window and leaned on the sill.
"It isn't like that. I conned him into hiring me at first. I needed something he had access to. It was supposed to be easy with no attachments. But something changed that. When I was caught, instead of anger or dismissal - hell he should have killed me, he forgave me, took me back, like God or something. It was then I realized what it was; something that was behind his eyes like he understood, as if he had been there himself. You know, like he had to do the same for someone he loved or something deeper. The thing is he never explained the reason why he forgave me, it was like the slate was wiped clean, an eye for an eye thing. But I still fell in love with him, even if I didn't know all his secrets. And I still married him even though he doesn't know all of mine. He may think he does but he doesn't."
Ianto looked at the street watching the aliens shuffle around going from this place to that, perfect in their place in the universe.
"Well, doesn't he sound like a dream guy! He must have a closet full of demons. We all do, some just put them on better, while others store them away or give them to the needy. Really! He more than likely just doesn't give a shit. I mean look at you, you're all fluff and wonderful. I would keep you around myself just to taste you every so often." Sergei left the bed and put his face right up to Ianto who hesitated for an instant; he could taste Sergie's scent and unconsciously liked his lips.
"I get to everyone in the end, Master Alfred. Remember, soon you won't be able to say no." Sergie smirked winking at Ianto who, no longer holding back, punched Sergie right in the jaw.
Sergie reeled for a second before grabbing Ianto and pushing him down to the floor. "You are treading a dangerous path, young sir!"
Ianto threw his hands up in front of his face. "No Jack, please stop!" Because he was still weak, he fainted, passing out on the floor.
Sergie looked down at the man and felt incredibly small for the first time in his life. Well, it was more like the third time in his life. He sighed, picking up his guest to put him back to bed. He found the blanket and tucked him in. Smoothing back his hair, he felt a jolt run up and down his body. He was feeling something for this man, and also he hated the one named Jack, for having this unique brave man's heart. After all, he stood up to him. That was somewhat of major turn on for Sergie. He smiled before returning to clean up the mess in the kitchen and to work out a way of cleaning this mess up with Alfred as well.
Anna stood still and the ghost was gone. The message "Thank you!" was in her head as Jack and the others ran into the Autopsy Bay. "It is all right Jack, he is gone, and he left this. I believe it is the cure for the virus." She handed Jack the vial and her knees buckled as she reached for the chair. "I know it is early but can I have a really stiff drink? I don't know who he was but his presences made me question my religious beliefs. He seemed like what we would call an angel. Do we know what he was?"
Jack rolled the vial around in his hands before handing it to Sally. "No, but Mark seems to think he was a good guy. Now with the cure, at least I hope it is, maybe things will start going our way." He suddenly had a feeling that someone was indeed looking out for them.
Mark laughed as Jolein tried to imitate the Lamaze DVD he was watching. "Are you going to help bring NG into the world, Jolein?" He watched his daughter look confused as she giggled.
"No Papa, I'm too young. But I could take the pain away for a bit. Anyway, Anna says you can't deliver like that Papa. Will it hurt when I have a baby?" She rested her head on his shoulder before turning back to the DVD again.
"It might, but afterwards you'll know it was worth it. Now help me practice the breathing. Be my coach for a bit and I'll be there for you as well. Pinky swear?" He held out his pinky, watching Jolein lock her tiny finger around his. She smiled as her Papa got into position to start his breathing exercises. Her little face was excited to be doing a grown up thing. It was times like these that Mark was glad his children were exposed to things in Torchwood world. It was after all, more like his life when he was young. If a school in the 21st century couldn't handle his kids, he would home school them. Both John and he would, at least they would be in good hands with so many that loved them.
End Chapter 34
TBC