Chapter 48 Shadow of the Past

The distressed hum of the TARDIS rose above the din of shoes clamoring on the metal grating, all heading towards the gurney. Led by the Doctor, the other three people raced to help Jack secure the flailing form of Ianto. Grim determination showed on both Aaron and Martha's faces as their professional masks slipped into place making lightning assessments.

The Doctor was the first to reach Jack's side and had his sonic screwdriver aimed at Ianto scanning for the immediate cause of the seizure. "Hold him still, Jack, I need you to hold him still." He felt the TARDIS join with him to help find out what was wrong with the young Welshman.

His scan showed that Ianto's nerve endings were so weakened by the electric shocks from his torture that they were still reacting. It would take a while for his body to heal and return to normal. He frowned as he analysed the information from his scan but remained silent waiting for Martha and Aaron to make their assessments.

The TARDIS murmured her discontent. She had used a small portion of her Vortex life force to heal Ianto's body. Why was he still having seizures? His body was still weak because she had not wanted to overwhelm it with too much power. But it shouldn't be reacting like this … the Doctor felt similarly inclined.

The Doctor opened his empathic link to the TARDIS and they shared their anxiety. They had both sensed a shadow or cloud … dark and forbidding within Ianto's mind. It wasn't alien and it wasn't new. It had obviously been in place for a very long time … part of Ianto's defence mechanisms, but what was behind it?

Both the Doctor and the TARDIS knew that the key to Ianto's seizures lay behind that cloud. The Doctor had wanted to use his sonic screwdriver to break down what he viewed as a mere obstruction to Ianto's healing. But the TARDIS had restrained him, using her power to stop the Time Lord taking action. He couldn't argue with her at the moment, but he was determined to get an explanation as to why the TARDIS would over-rule him and stop him trying to help the young Welshman … later, when they were alone.

The Brigadier arrived on the opposite side of Ianto and helped Jack firmly secure the thrashing body down on the gurney. He had extensive experience in assisting with field treatments for battle injuries from his junior days in UNIT. He knew how to deal with a person who was having a seizure and managed to hold his shoulders down firmly. He glanced up at the Captain whose eyes were wide with fear as he struggled to press down on Ianto's hips.

Martha's eyes swept over the gurney and located the restraints secured underneath. "Aaron! Secure his legs and I'll secure his chest and arms! Jack! Secure his head! I need you to stop him thrashing it around like that!" she yelled out pointing to the restraints.

Aaron moved quickly to release the restraints and secure them around the ankles of Ianto's jerking legs. The Brigadier maintained his firm hold on Ianto, locking his shoulders into place. Jack was still panicked and his hold on Ianto weakened.

"Jack! Hold him still! I need to make sure he's not going to swallow his tongue!" Martha instructed brusquely, securing the restraints around Ianto's torso. She was relieved to see the Brigadier knew exactly what he was doing. Martha tried not to express impatience at Jack because his actions were more hindrance than help. She tried to remember that he was emotionally drained and too caught up in his partner's distress to keep a level head. The Doctor's anxious frown wasn't helping much anyway, but she thought it best not to call him on it … Jack might not like what he might say. Martha pulled something out of her medical kit and then turned to Aaron. "I'll need you to help restrain him, Aaron, I need you to place this clamp in his mouth, okay?"

Aaron immediately let go of the young Welshman, grateful that the Brigadier quickly adapted to his absence helping to restrain Ianto. He seized the clamp quickly and securing a firm hold on Ianto's chin, forced his jaw apart and placed it exactly where the young Welshman would bite down on it. He then held it in place, wondering how long the seizure would be this time.

It was a long time as seizures go … just over 12 minutes. By the end of it, Ianto's body wasn't alone in being slippery with sweat. All five helpers had sweat patches on their clothing and salty liquid running down their faces. Even the Doctor looked somewhat dishevelled … and they were completely and utterly exhausted, with cramped and aching muscles from being held taut in their efforts to keep Ianto still. It had been bad … really bad.

In the aftermath as the Doctor headed off to the kitchen, muttering about making everybody "a well-earned cup of tea", Jack slumped down in the seat besides Ianto. His exhaustion weakened his empathic barriers and his heart shone out for everyone to see, bleeding and raw from his sky-blue eyes. Tears pricked behind his orbs as he choked back a sob. He was slowly losing his normally steel-like control; it was eroding away with each seizure that Ianto endured. He was nearing the end of his endurance because his heart was breaking into pieces each time this happened.

The Brigadier followed the Doctor as he felt his presence at Jack's side would not be helpful now that the immediate crisis was over. Aaron also moved away from Martha and Jack, exhausted as they all were, but his mind racing with his own thoughts on this matter. There was something strangely familiar to Aaron about the circumstances he found himself in. Something that had happened back in the States … what was it? He had dealt with a young woman who had been systematically tortured by her parents from the time she was born … tortured and hidden away from the world. Half-starved and abused beyond normal human endurance, this quiet young girl had come through it with relatively minor damage to her mental and emotional make-up. Except for the seizures.

Aaron knew that something beyond the obvious about Ianto and his seizures, was staring him in the face. Something that linked him to the young, horrendously abused young girl. Despite the fact that their histories were vastly different and their personalities were poles apart, they shared a similarity … a common thread. What was that common thread?

Martha was weary beyond belief, both physically and mentally, not to mention her emotional balance was slightly to the left of centre. Yet her heart went out to Jack, someone she knew was much more than just a '51st century flirting machine' as the Doctor had once haughtily referred to him as, when he was trying to stop Martha being roped into his charms. Of course, that was never going to happen to Martha because her heart was already captured by the Doctor at that time … but he had remained oblivious to her love for him until she slammed it in his face. Just before she turned around and left him as his Companion. She was glad she now had Tom, who loved her … and whom she did love him. In her own way.

Martha placed gentle arms around Jack as he huddled into the side of the gurney, desperately trying to control the sobs that kept breaking out and kissed the top of his head gently. She ignored the sweat-slickened hair and laid her cheek down gently against his crown.

"It's over, Jack. It's over for now" she murmured into his hair. She wasn't going to give him false reassurances that Ianto would be alright. This was all new to her, a learning curve she would normally have been grateful for … if it hadn't involved two close friends … if she wasn't floundering out of her depths trying to put, as it were, a 'plaster on a gaping wound.'

When did everything get so damned crazy on Earth? In space and time, yeah, to be expected. But here … 21st century Earth … when had it all started to fall apart? And all this brought about by one woman's stupid, dangerous obsession and jealousy? The actions of a woman thwarted in love … rejected by Jack … and lashing out in pure, unadulterated selfishness with no heed to the fact that Torchwood was brought down to its knees … and one man nearly killed. No heed to the destruction of the Torchwood team. What the hell did Gwen hope to achieve by this shocking act of betrayal? What does that mean for the future of Torchwood? Will there be a future for them or will we go to London and find out the Prime Minister or the Queen orders Torchwood to be shut down in Cardiff? How did this bode for the future of the other Torchwood branches throughout the world? And UNIT? Will it merely step in and take over? The world needs Torchwood to rise from this destruction … like a phoenix rising from its death pyre. The Doctor has got to save Torchwood … he just has to do it. That's what he does best, isn't it? Save the world again!

Aaron pulled Martha out of her revelry. "Cup of tea?" he asked gently, offering her one of the mugs he held in his hand. Martha smiled weakly at him as she took it. "And a word with you?" She turned to stare intently at the psychologist. His face was impassive but she detected a slight glint in his eyes … excitement? Martha frowned.

"Alright", Martha demurred despite feeling tightness in her chest at the strange look in his eyes. "I'm listening". A shadow of guilt crossed her mind as she remembered her own excitement at using her medical skills on her first injured alien that she and the Doctor had discovered on one of their adventures. It was humanoid except for a few minor details; it had a tail, an extra set of arms and its skin was tinted bright orange. That encounter had gone well in the end.

Aaron drew himself in, his handsome features settling into a professional mask. "Before coming to London, I read through those medical and police files you sent me on Ianto Jones. Obviously it was my intention at that time, to guide Ianto through counselling; back into his past and to help him deal with it. While that will still be my primary goal for helping Ianto reconcile with his past, I believe that these seizures are only manifesting themselves now because of his recent incarceration and torture. It's almost as if the torture tore down some of his defence mechanisms that protected his conscious mind from the past. Now I believe, Ianto's body is desperately trying to erect new barriers but it's not doing it very well this time and instead of protecting him, it's causing him harm. Moreover, I believe the memories that Ianto buried, have bubbled to the surface and are lying exposed, although not necessarily having found their way yet into his conscious mind. But he will remember soon. Probably not in any chronological order … more likely he will remember randomly. Bursts of memories unrelated to the present intruding into his mind. They are right there, ready and waiting for Ianto to deal with … with my guidance, of course!"

"So what are you saying?" Martha asked, her personal involvement with Jack and Ianto colouring her tone as she glared at him. "That Ianto's torture was a good thing because it helped bring to the surface the area you intend counselling him on? Without having to guide him through the journey back into his past? Without you having to work for it?"

Aaron grimaced, realising how his cold words and clinical manner must have sounded. Martha was a peer that he could freely talk to. But she was also closely involved with Ianto and Jack and he perceived he had just offended her with his professional opinion.

"Martha. Torture is never good. For any reason. Period. But these particularly horrific circumstances have inadvertently opened a door of opportunity … for Ianto and me. I would be lax in my care of Ianto Jones if I allowed delicacy over the circumstances this opportunity gives me, to deter me from helping him. After all, that is the objective, isn't it Martha? To help Ianto Jones?"

Martha's shoulders slumped. "Yes, yes of course, Aaron, it is. I guess I let my personal feelings colour my perception. Of course if these horrible circumstances have afforded you a window of opportunity, you should take it! It's just that … would it be too soon, Aaron? After all he's been through at the moment? Is now the time to deal with his past?"

Aaron's features softened as he regarded her. "When will there ever be a right time to help him 'exorcise' the demons from his past? I'm guessing these seizures will cease sometime soon. His body will have put back in place the barriers to protect his past and it will be a long, hard journey to find the area I need to work with. Is that kinder to him in the long run? Will I need to wait for another suicide attempt when something in his present, triggers that reaction? And what if he succeeds this time? I would be very lax as a professional psychologist if I didn't act on the opportunity given me. You need to understand, Martha, that I possess the skills to help Ianto. My team and I have the skills to handle any fallout from his counselling. Moreover, Ianto is definitely going to need my help dealing with his present situation. Therefore, it will naturally evolve into setting the scene to help him deal with his past. Surely you have faith in me, Martha, otherwise, why would you have called on me in the first place?"

Martha coloured slightly at his gentle reprimand. "I do have faith in you, Aaron. That's why I called you in. Again my personal involvement with Ianto is getting in the way. Maybe it's because … it's because this area of care for Ianto is outside my own expertise and I'm flustering around him like a mother hen because I know that I am not the person he needs to help him through this. I wish I was, but I know that I'm not. You are that person, Aaron and Ianto could not be in better hands. I ... I'm sorry, Aaron if I questioned your professional judgement."

Aaron smiled broadly at her. "Apology accepted! Now. All I need to do is persuade his lover to allow me access to him. Not right away, but soon. Would you be willing to help me with dealing with Captain Jack Harkness?"

Martha smirked at him. "Of course! Fortunately for me, my credentials as a doctor go a long way with Jack. Not to mention our friendship and bond with the Doctor. We'll wait til we've returned to Cardiff. I'm staying in a hotel there. When Jack has recovered himself enough, I'll have a word with him. Then you can talk to him. So that's settled then?"

Aaron chuckled. "You do your part Martha and I'll do mine. I know we need to get a few important things out of the way first. Stabilising Ianto … visiting No. 10 Downing Street … then onto Buckingham Palace. Hmmmm. When I first accepted this assignment you offered me, I had no idea that it would take me on such an incredible, albeit horrific at times, adventure! Despite my previous knowledge of aliens due to my association with Torchwood in the States, I would never have believed that I would be privileged to meet the famous Doctor … and be in his TARDIS! Nor would I have imagined that I would be involved in such an unbelievable situation! Not bad for a guy from a hick town in the States!"

Martha slapped his shoulder playfully, aware of the fact that he was trying to lighten the heavy mood that had descended on them. In the midst of her worries about Ianto … about Jack and about Torchwood, a random thought popped into her mind.

She eyed him curiously. "Aaron, a hypothetical question for you. Would you be able to, if the opportunity arose, counsel Gwen and find out why she acted like she did?"

"Why do you ask, Martha?" Aaron queried, his brows creasing slightly in puzzlement. That was the last question he had expected to hear from his peer. But one that intrigued him.

"Oh, I know it's never going to happen, but I just wondered if you could" she answered, revealing nothing beneath her professional mask.

Aaron paused before answering. "Obviously I could counsel their colleague, but the question I ask is why would I? Even if the opportunity arose for me to counsel Gwen, I wouldn't be able to act on it due to these unusual circumstances. I'm about to involve myself with the very colleague that Gwen Cooper-Williams betrayed. As professional as I am, it would be unethical for me to take her on as a client, whilst dealing with Ianto Jones. In ordinary circumstances, I might have considered doing just that, but in these rather bizarre circumstances, it would not be wise. I could, however, refer her to one of my colleagues, preferably not from my own practice. Are you concerned about Gwen?"

Martha glanced quickly at Jack, guilt obvious in her gaze. "It's just that … well … I've met Gwen Cooper-Williams. She seemed such a nice person, a caring person. Really caring person. Jack even went so far as to refer to her as 'the heart of Torchwood'. He told me he had hired her because he felt she brought a level of humanity into Torchwood. And after spending time with her, I could see what he meant. To have a seemingly normal person, one who carries her heart on her sleeve, be the instigator of such … such catastrophic consequences … such callous behaviour towards one of her colleagues … well, it shook the hell out of me. I couldn't believe she was capable of such things!"

Aaron pursed his lips before responding. "You can't honestly expect me to make any kind of clinical assessment with such sketchy details, do you? I'd have to know something more about Gwen Cooper-Williams than you've just offered me. Access to her medical files for a start, information about her background etc. You know the drill. But let me share something with you from my own background. A story that my mentor shared with me before I gained my qualifications as a clinical psychologist. He told me about an historic case, a client of his, which had happened back in the early seventies when he was new in practice. His unique skills had come to the attention of many of his peers, which in turn, led him to being invited to provide a psychological assessment on a female inmate awaiting trial. A very attractive middle-aged woman had been jailed for the multiple murders of her family members … husband, two sons and daughter. What was unique about this case, is that the woman did not fit any of the psychological profiles for a killer. We'll call her Jane. Anyway, Jane lived an ordinary but successful life as a home maker with her husband and teenage children. What friends and relatives said about her, was that Jane was 'such a lovely person' and that she was well-known for her 'kindness, understanding and caring heart'. And they were bewildered because Jane had always seemed so happy and contented with her life."

"Well, that was true until her teenage daughter brought home her latest boyfriend … we'll call him John … a young man in his early twenties. Apparently he was a gorgeous young man who absolutely adored her daughter. But Jane, poor woman, became infatuated with the young man. To cut a long story short, although her family never picked up on Jane's growing obsession with John, despite her numerous invitations to dinner, the young man did. He realised that Jane was infatuated with him but he knew where his heart lay … with her daughter. Apparently John confronted her one evening when he had been invited for dinner and she had got him alone. Jane tried to come on to him, declaring her undying love for him. He stated quite firmly that he was not in any way interested in her and didn't want anything inappropriate to happen between them. He also stated he loved her daughter and intended asking her to marry him. According to his statement to police, Jane never said a word after their confrontation, but turned around and stalked away from him. In due course, John left the family home, assuring his girlfriend that she was the love of his life."

"That very same night, Jane took matters into her own hand. The loving family she had cared for all these years, suddenly to her mind, had become obstacles to her new love. The police worked out that she had waited until her family were asleep, then in the middle of the night, Jane had taken a hunting knife from the shed, crept into the house and starting with her husband, stabbed each sleeping family member to death, ending with her daughter. She then went through her daughter's mobile phone and rang John."

"Jane told John that she had 'removed' all obstacles to their love and that she wanted to meet and discuss their future together in a local motel. She gave him the address of the motel, hung up before he could question her further, then showered and changed, packing a bag before heading to her car. She left the bloodied bodies of her family exactly where she had killed them, intending to 'clean up' during the following day. Her one goal was to meet with John and convince him that he was now free to transfer his love to her."

"John was immediately suspicious and worried. He tried ringing the family home, but she had disconnected the landline. Thankfully, he then rang the police to inform them that he believed something really bad had happened at his girlfriend's place and could they investigate. They asked him for details, so he explained everything that had happened that evening, including Jane's call from her mobile and where she wanted to meet him. Fortunately, the police decided to investigate. They went to the house, broke in and found the bodies. The police sent to the house radioed headquarters and asked them to send a car around to the motel. They arrested Jane on suspicion of multiple murders. At the police station, sheconfessed to the murders, stating that she had no other choice because her family were obstacles to the new love she had found."

"When my colleague performed his assessment of the woman, he discovered that she was, as the statements and character references from friends and relatives had stated, a very nice woman who was a caring person. The problem lay in the fact that her obsession with John grew unchallenged and overrode her natural instincts. Thus, her behaviour changed as her obsession followed its downward spiral into murder."

Aaron drew a deep breath. "My mentor declared her fit to stand trial because he could find no grounds for mental incapacity. Psychologically, she had tipped over into obsession with her daughter's lover, but she was fully aware of her actions and clung defensively to them, declaring she had to do what she had to do for love's sake. There was some regret for having killed her family, but she honestly believed she should be freed to follow her heart. She was duly tried, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment."

"My mentor did some more digging into her background because meeting Jane had truly shaken him up. He wanted answers as to why a seemingly normal person would go so far off the rails. His research uncovered a fairly ordinary background. An only child brought up by doting parents who gave her everything. Her childhood was idyllic, as were her teenage years and early adulthood. Jane's life had been perfect. She had gotten everything in life she had ever wanted; a loving and successful husband; three wonderful, caring children; a lovely home and family holidays overseas every year; the respect and love of her community. Everything had gone perfectly in her life … until the man she now wanted, turned her down. The obsession had grown unnoticed by her family until it overwhelmed her and catapulted her into the actions she took when she murdered her family. His conclusions? She had never known defeat in her life; she had never been denied anything she wanted; she was used to getting her own way. Not in an obvious, demanding way, no, just using her niceness to influence people to give her what she wanted. Along came John and denied her, defeated her and told her in no uncertain terms that she was not going to get her own way. That tipped her into the catastrophic and tragic consequences that lead to the murders of her family members. Basically, Jane had grown up from being a spoilt young girl, into a spoilt woman who had to have her own way. And that was how a normal person turned into a killer."

Martha's eyes were wide in their sockets after Aaron had finished relating his tale. "Bloody hell!", she stated in shock. "Well … I don't know anything about Gwen's background … but maybe there was something like that? I don't honestly know. Anyway, thank you for sharing that with me and giving me a rare insight into your world. I'm glad I specialise in the physical side of medicine because I think I have more of a stomach for it than I would for your field of expertise."

A few moments of silence passed between them as they drank their now, cold cups of tea. Then Aaron quirked his eyebrow at Martha and posed a question. "Martha. Tell me, how does a good doctor, who is also a very caring person, come to work for an organisation that sanctions and performs torture on its prisoners?"

Martha immediately stared back at him aghast, her cheeks flaming and eyes wide. "Well … it was the Doctor who actually put in a good word for me. After I had left him as his Companion and finished my degree. Just after my graduation, I got a phone call from UNIT offering me a job, stating that the Doctor had recommended me. Well … I was all wide-eyed and willing when I first joined. Then I discovered what really went on. I voiced my opinions against many of the … undesirable shall we say, practices that I discovered went on in UNIT. My voice is largely ignored, but the fact I'm the Doctor's former companion means I don't suffer any retribution for my strong views. However … I'm hoping in time, things will change in UNIT. I'm hoping that I will help influence that change and stop some of those practices. It's just a bit hard and a bit frustrating, especially when the bloody Government sanctions it all! I'm hoping the Doctor can wield his influence in this matter."

Aaron nodded, his eyes reflecting the hope that Martha spoke of. He sincerely hoped that barbaric practices in government agencies would soon be outlawed. He was an active member of Amnesty International and whenever possible, he took time to travel the various countries where oppression was at its worst. He sincerely hoped the Doctor could persuade the Government to at least have one establishment discontinue their practice of torture. But he understood well, the long road to change …..

The Doctor, when he saw that the Brigadier was following him, asked him to give him a moment as he needed to do something with the TARDIS. The Brigadier hid his disappointment at being summarily dismissed by the Doctor and nodded his understanding, opting to stride over to the squashy couch and pretend to read the magazines piled on the coffee table. He grimaced when he saw the bulk of them were women's magazines. With obvious distaste he picked one up and leafed through it, wondering how long he could keep this farce up.

An opening in the wall appeared before the Doctor and he strode through it, down the passageway and into his room. Without any preamble, he sat down and immediately tuned into the TARDIS who had been waiting patiently for him.

There was irritation in his voice as he spoke. "Well? What's the story then? Why did you stop me clearing away that obvious obstruction in Ianto's mind? Between the two of us, we could have cleared it away and dealt with what lay underneath. So you'd better have a good explanation as to why you stopped me."

The TARDIS hummed quietly. She knew what lay beneath that cloud. After the Doctor had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to stop trying to clear the dark cloud they had seen, she had gone ahead and used her power to 'see' beyond the cloud. And what she had seen, gave her pause. Her time with the Doctor and his frequent trips to Earth had caused her to familiarise herself with these humans that the Doctor was particularly fond of. Not to mention his obvious preference for human Companions.

This insight into Ianto's psyche had revealed a deeply sensitive young boy whose childhood had been far from idyllic. She saw the young boy struggling to find favour with a constantly disapproving and harsh father. She saw the traumatic events of his teenage years. She saw what happened at Canary Wharf … from his perspective. She saw what happened at Torchwood when Jack and his team killed his semi-converted Cyber woman … the first person he had ever loved. She saw his time at Torchwood and his developing relationship with Jack. But most of all, she saw how the inner wounds had gathered and wound themselves into a tight ball that radiated deep pain. At the centre of it all, she saw the little boy who just wanted to be accepted and loved. This was not something her Doctor should deal with. His methods were too harsh. He would do more damage than good. No. Aaron would be the one. She knew his capabilities.

We have done all we should do for Ianto. What lies beneath that dark cloud needs to be dispelled by someone who has the time and patience to deal with it all. That person is Aaron Matlock. We both know we could bluster our way in and effect a healing of sorts. But Aaron is better at this. We should leave it to him.

The Doctor started in shock, clearly affronted by his TARDIS' thoughts. "What are you saying? That I am not competent enough to help Ianto, but Aaron is? Do you forget my abilities? Do you forget your own?"

No, Doctor. I do not forget. Anything. Ever. For now, you need to focus on what needs to happen in order for the time line that must be, to proceed as planned. We do not have the luxury of real time to divert our attention from the main goal. Saving the Earth in the future. There is much work to be done that only you and I can do. Let others take up the other burdens. Besides, Aaron has the skill, the time and the patience, to effect a much deeper healing in Ianto Jones, than we can. He will also proceed gently. As that is Aaron's specialty, we should leave him to deal with it. You know that we have more important matters to deal with. And Doctor. You will need to talk to Jack. He has plans to kill Gwen Cooper-Williams. You will have to make sure that doesn't happen. Talk to him.

The Doctor grunted reluctantly in agreement. "Well … I suppose you're right. And yes, I had intended to talk to Jack. Now might not be a good time after Ianto's seizure. It was bad, that one. Wish I could do more to help, but no, you're right. I need to focus on other matters. I'll talk to Jack when I can. We really need to leave here and proceed with our visits to the Government and the Queen. But with Ianto as he is at the moment, well, I don't think it's such a good idea. And I know that all Jack wants to do is surround Ianto in cotton wool and bury him safely in Torchwood! That, and kill Gwen, of course. Soooo … we need to come up with a plan of action. I'm reluctant to expose Ianto to the bureaucrats in his current condition … BUT … I actually need Ianto in a better state than he is in now! Therefore, I propose that we … that is you … heal him sufficiently to face these interviews, then we give him back to Jack and let Aaron do his part in fixing Ianto. What do you think?"

The TARDIS let out a discordant hum. How could her Doctor be so callous after all his time exposed to the various races of beings whose compassion shone out like bright beacons to him? Not to mention his time with caring humans. And if her own influence wasn't enough to sway the Doctor, then what in the whole wide Universe would teach him compassion? She let her memory wander over the various incarnations or different aspects of the doctor as she preferred to think of it. Yes … he had changed from the cold, indifferent young Gallifreyan she had first encountered before their world ended. And she grudgingly admitted that she also had changed from the cocky, self-absorbed TARDIS she had once been. Perhaps he would come right in the end.

Very good, Doctor. We'll do it just as you say. But you had better talk to Jack first. And Martha and Aaron. Warn them what's going to happen. You did explain to them what we did earlier, didn't you?

The Doctor had the good grace to blush slightly. "Ummm … no. Didn't get around to it. But I'll explain it to them all now. That should do it. By the way, Missy, I want you to tell me now exactly what you did to Ianto Jones when we started working on him. I know you did something even though you blocked me out from it. What did you do? And why?"

It was the TARDIS' turn to feel uncomfortable. She hesitated before responding. I merely gave Ianto a teeny, weeny bit of the Vortex. To speed up his healing. He really needed it, to heal his physical and mental body. We … had a bit of a chat. You know he's an Empath, don't you? If he wasn't needed here on Earth, we could have invited him as a Companion. He and I get along very well. It's just a tiny link … nothing major. Nothing to worry about.

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up to the ceiling. "Oh, no, no, no, no! You don't get away with that flimsy explanation! I can feel some kind of distortion in him that wasn't there before … distortion in time and space. WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?"

Knowing the Doctor would just harass her until she admitted the truth, the TARDIS relented. Alright. I may have given him a bit more of the Vortex than you would approve of. Just a tiny bit. Nothing to worry about, like I said … well … maybe his life will be different from now on. Just a bit. Well … maybe his life will last longer … just a bit. Not like Jack, of course! But … just a bit longer than normal.

The Doctor shot to his feet exploding into anger. "I knew it! I could sense something different with Ianto! WHY? Why did you do that? There was absolutely no need to do that! So why?"

The TARDIS paused before responding. Because I saw into his very soul … the undamaged part … the pureness of his simple desire … the pureness of his spirit. He HATES the pain he will cause Jack with his death. He longs to be with Jack forever so that he will never cause such terrible pain to his Captain. He knows his death will do that to Jack. I found myself responding to that rare pureness that I've only found in one other human … Rose Tyler. They are the same in their purity. I did not give Ianto forever as Rose gave Jack. But I gave him an extended life beyond normal human years. He will stay with Jack and help him grow stronger as a person. Strong enough for Jack to let go of Ianto when the time is right. One human life time is not long enough to achieve this. Jack is not strong enough for that. But Ianto will stay for several millennia with Jack and his Captain will evolve into the person he needs to be for the distant future. I checked the time lines before taking this action. There is no distortion of important time lines. Check for yourself.

The Doctor immediately turned to the screen above his bed and his fingers flew over the console. He watched the new time lines spread and extend into the future. The TARDIS was right. The change she had made did not impact negatively on past, present or future timelines.

He shrugged. "Weeeelll … maybe it will be alright. But you should have consulted me before doing this. Besides. I think I'll have to find a discreet way of informing Ianto of the change … not to mention Jack!"

The TARDIS's hum gentled into a purr. Oh, no need to tell Ianto. He already knows. I told him. He's delighted and extremely grateful for the change. I explained everything to him. He's going to explain it all to Jack … when the time is right.

The Doctor chuckled. "Well, you seem to have sorted that out. But next time … consult with me, young lady! I might actually agree with you. But don't hide anything from me again, alright? There aren't meant to be any secrets we hold from each other. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but don't let it happen again!"

The TARDIS murmured in assent. Her Doctor was changing … for the better. It was happening slowly … oh so slowly … but it was happening. She was content and sent him a gentle wave of assurance and affection to him. He returned to her his own soothing approval.