TITLE: The Power of New Beginnings

SUMMARY: AU VERSE! After the events of Beauty of a Broken Angel, can Ianto balance recovering from his imprisonment, controlling his powers, and working for Torchwood Three, all while struggling to understand his growing feelings for Jack. Closely follows Pre-season Canon in later chapters.

PART TWO OF SERIES: The Five Elements (AU Verse)

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, because if I did Ianto would be immortal!

Words: 2100

Notes: Thank you for all the comments so far! Always on the edge of my seat when my email pings!

Chapter 14: Histories and Futures (2004)

30th November 2004

After Owen stormed out, Jack led Ianto over the hatch in the corner of his office, letting him go just long enough to climb the ladder. Jack slowly undid the buttons of Ianto's shirt, placing the item neatly to the side before setting him down gently on the camp bed. Neither spoke the whole time, but eventually the guilt of Ianto watching Jack worrying over him was too much.

"Jack I'm fine. I promise." Ianto assured, halting his movements. "He just took me by surprise. I wasn't paying attention."

"Still, Owen should have asked." Jack disputed. "I've heard what he's said to you, Tosh and Suzie the last two days. I'm in the right mind to retcon him on the spot."

"Jack." Ianto argued. "He was doing his job. You can't fire someone just because I don't like him."

"No, but I can for being excessively disrespectful to his colleagues." Jack returned. "I told you the before we hired Suzie that I want to hear your opinion on who I hire."

"He's a skilled doctor, Jack. He's just lashing out in anger towards life. You said it yourself, he's grieving."

"You're probably right." Jack finished. He dropped on the bed next to where Ianto sat, lying horizontally to face him. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

Ianto laid down opposite him, knowing that specific conversation was over, or just momentarily paused. However, there was different matter bothering him that he could no longer avoid.

"When my shields broke…what happened?" Ianto asked gently after a few moments of silence.

Jack didn't answer, instead rolling onto his back to stare silently at the dark ceiling of his bunker.

"Something's changed, I can feel it." Ianto insisted. He felt Jack exhale uneasily beside him.

"When your shields shattered…" Jack started slowly. "…you were lost in your own mind. I didn't know how to help, but as a final attempt, I entered your mind with mine to find you."

"I didn't know that was possible." Ianto replied, bewildered. "I thought your abilities weren't strong enough."

"They weren't, but I had to try." Jack said earnestly, turning back on his side to face him. "But, I accidently unlocked a part of my mind I didn't know was there."

"Wait…How?"

"Not sure, but my abilities have changed. Increased." Jack replied, uncertainly. "I don't know how much, or how to use them, but I've noticed we can share our emotions more directly towards each other."

Ianto frowned at Jack's description. He could hear the silent words that he wasn't saying. Jack had risked himself to saved him, and they didn't know what other consequences it could trigger in. "Jac-"

"Ianto, you're my friend. Whatever you need, I'll be there." Jack injected earnestly giving Ianto his first showcase of their new talents by reading him fluently. "I'm okay. We'll figure anything else out as it comes along but you know I would do anything for you…"

"Kiss me?" Ianto's gaze searched Jack's, both his eyes and mind sharing his sincerity.

"What?" Jack's dazed tone conveyed his surprise.

"You could kiss me?" Ianto repeated, his confidence only slightly flagging now he'd said the words, but Owen's earlier words were playing on loop in his mind. "I know you want to."

"Ianto…" Jack sighed. "You know what I said before about…."

"That was then." Ianto interrupted quietly but firmly. "It's different now. I want this."

Jack studied his face intently then shook head, sighing faintly into the pillow but Ianto could sense an underlying chuckle playing on his lips. "You are far too stubborn for your own good Jones, Ianto Jones."

"Is that a yes?"

The was no answer, but slowly and deliberately, Jack pulled him closer. Their lips met in a soft, tender kiss that surrounding Ianto in a world of warmth as he eagerly returned it. It only lasted a few moments but left him craving for more as Jack withdrew slightly.

"You good?"

"Yeah." Ianto breathed. Slightly speechless he let his eyes and mind to the talking.

"Try not to think too hard about it." Jack spoke quietly. "We can go a slow as you want. There's a lot of ways to enjoy this."

In response, Ianto simply leaned in and locked their lips together in another, more urgent kiss that drew a successful, throaty moan from the other. Jack rolled on top of him, deepening the kiss until they reluctantly broke apart for air, both panting heavily.

"You sure about this?" Jack asked again, his hands beginning to wander tentatively down his chest.

"Positive."

1st December 2004

Jack carefully stretched out as much as possible on the small camp bed in his bunker, trying not to jostle the sated, sleeping form that was wrapped in his arms.

He'd awoken around a couple hours earlier, but his sleep had actually been relatively long and undisturbed compared to normal, and Jack knew it was could only be because of a certain Welshman.

Normally by this time of the morning, he'd be up, usually choosing to watch the sunset from his favourite rooftop, tired of laying in bed with nothing but with his own memories as his companion.

However, this morning everything was different.

He didn't know how long he'd dreamed of getting Ianto in bed and showing him the delights of his own body, yet it'd never felt right considering their history. Opposed to common beliefs, he hadn't actively searched for a sexual partner for a while. Flirting was a much a part of him as breathing, but now-a-days it rarely went further. After all his years and those he'd lost, he'd begun to tire of nameless sex or even any closer relationships, but something drew him towards Ianto. A connection that'd grown stronger since Ianto's incident.

Another 20 minutes passed in silence, before his computer beeped softly in his office above. Jack groaned under his breath. It might not be a rift alert or weevils, but no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't ignore it. Slipping quietly out of Ianto's hold, he froze when the latter shifted slightly but thankfully, he didn't wake.

Jack quietly donned his trousers and undershirt, leaving his shirt off for now before climbing up the ladder to his office and stepping around his desk to the computer stand in the corner. He'd never gotten used to other people having it on their desks.

His heart rate rocketed as he read the screen, not expecting what he read.

The search technology he'd privately asked Tosh to develop more than a year previously (without telling her why) had been running in the background since, monitoring any movement that would disclose Lucia's or his daughter's whereabouts. Nothing had ever been alerted before now and the longer he'd searched the more disheartened he'd felt. Lucia had severed all ties completely, supposedly permanently erasing anything in her life that had even the single connection to him.

However, in the last 24 hours one of Lucia old accounts he'd previously shared with her for cost regarding Melissa had been accessed, with a solitary single transfer under the name Alice Carter to MeadHaven Nursing Home in Bristol. He didn't recognise the name but as he pulled up the file there was no mistaking his daughter.

Just as he'd imagined, his daughter had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her short black hair was in similarity to her mother's, but the eyes were all him like he remembered. Jack skimmed the rest of the document, before bringing up a search for Alice Carter. She'd married in 1997 to a Joe Carter, with one son born 1999.

Jack's eyes widened in wonder. He was a grandfather.

~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~

18th December 2004

Fate tested his resolve, as the next few weeks were jam-packed with more cases, rift alerts, and weevils than Jack had ever seen at the same time in all his century of service. Combined with training Owen for field work, it gave him little time to determine what he was going to do with his new information.

What he had deduced, however, was that Lucia had been admitted in a care home while undergoing treatment for recently diagnosed heart disease, Alice having access her mother's unused account to pay for the care. Jack had written a check almost instantly, knowing it was the minimum he could do. Since Lucia had fled into hiding, he'd been unable to pay any child support, and wished that while it wouldn't replace the lost years, it would at least give him an opening in reintroducing himself in their lives.

However, it wasn't until nearly three weeks after that Jack finally found himself parked outside 27 Langham House in Bristol. He didn't expected Alice to recognise him, but the envelope he held in his hand, containing the check and a brief letter, he hoped would go a little way to remedy that.

Jack knocked loudly on the front door, shifting nervously as he heard footsteps approaching. Eventually the door swung open, revealing Alice on the other side and Jack smiled, more as encouragement for himself than for anything else.

"Hi, Captain Jack Harkness. I'm…"

"My bastard of a father" Alice finished, coldly. "Mum was right. You look the same as your photo."

Taken aback, Jack faltered, no longer knowing what to say next as his plan falling apart. He had known from the start she would no longer be the innocent two-year old that doted on his every word, but was unsure how to feel about the fact that while Lucia had at least acted as he existed to their child, it was apparent that while Alice knew of him, she clearly wanted nothing to do with him.

"Mum! The remote's not working."

A young boy, no older than five ran out into the hallway, the TV remote gripped in his hand, stopping Jack's attempts to respond in his tracks. It was one thing to read that he was a grandfather, but seeing him in the flesh for the first time was almost unbelievable.

"Steven, go wait upstairs with Dad please." Alice replied sternly over her shoulder.

Steven paused at the tone and Jack's concealed his regret as his grandson looked at him for only a brief second before charging up the stairs and out of sight. Only the fact that there been no recognition in his eyes gave Jack a little hope, but it was soon dashed by Alice's next words.

"I think you should go." Jack tore his gaze from the top of the stairs and back to his daughter, still holding readily onto the door. It was clear he was unwelcome.

"I'm sorry for bothering you." He responded quietly. He silently passed over the small envelope then turned on his heel, his shoulders slumping as soon as he heard the door slam shut behind him.

~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~

Ianto leant against the railing overlooking the Medical Bay, watching the rest of the team gawp at a scurry of purple mice Owen and Suzie had acquired at their latest rift alert. He turned around at the sound of the cog door rolling open and Jack arrived through the cage, his face unsettled.

"Oi Harkness! What'd you make of these?" Owen yelled past him, but Jack stalked past into his office with no response or even any recognition that he heard, slamming the door behind him.

"What stick has got shoved up his arse?"

Owen griped, ignoring as Ianto glared at him. While Owen had matured as minimally as Ianto could think was possible since he and Jack had spoken, the medic still often rubbed him the wrong the way.

Ianto left the others with the mice, troubled by Jack's entrance. Jack's office was empty when he entered, but the hatch to Jack's bedroom was open, and he quickly descended the ladder.

Jack was already laying on his small camp bed, still dressed in his greatcoat. He was facing the wall, almost trying to curl up as tightly as possible. Ianto slid in alongside him, wrapping an arm around his waist as Jack reached to take his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"What's wrong?" Ianto asked quietly. "I've never seen you like this."

Jack stayed silent, the tightening of his grip his only response but eventually shook his head. "I can't. Not today." He whispered, shakily. "Just stay, please?"

Ianto nodded, his spare hand trailing through Jack's dark hair as he tipped his head forwards to press a kiss to his.

Notes: Finally, Jack and Ianto have got together! Hoped you liked the initial confrontation between Jack and Alice. Plus, Steven always wins the day! Next up - yeah not giving any spoilers. Favourite parts are next!