TITLE: To Separate The Lies From Truth

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

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Sometimes there are too many coincidences to be true

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Torchwood or Doctor Who which is unlucky because Jack and Ianto deserve so much more!

WORDS: 2500

Notes: Small Worlds is here! Warning this covers 4 chapters! Enjoy!


Chapter 13. Small Worlds (2007)

15th April 2007

Jack awoke from his nightmare sweating slightly, despite the slight chill in the open Hub though. once again, it hadn't really been a nightmare but a memory, and one he hadn't thought about in a long time. The terrors of that day had been drowned my more recent horrors, but even so the sudden reminder of one his most distinct failures to protect his people, disturbed any further attempts at sleep. Why that specific memory had surface after so long, Jack couldn't understand, but he crawled out of his bed and pulled on his trousers and vest. It wasn't too early for him to start hunting for a rooftop for the rest of the night, negating the need for his shirt until later.

Jack reached his office and stopped short at the single red rose petal left abandoned on his desk. It couldn't be a coincidence, not after the dream he'd just had, could it?

Still shaken from the memory, a sudden noise behind him had Jack spinning around in a minor panic, stuffing the petal in his trouser pocket. He stopped however as he recognised who was there, a smile crossing his face. He must have been very distracted not to have felt his presence beforehand.

"You shouldn't be here." Jack reminded Ianto, resting against his desk the sight of his lover couldn't help but settle his nerves a little.

Ianto looked startled, expecting him to still be asleep, but smiled shyly at him. "Neither should you." Ianto spoke softly. "I thought you were coming back to mine tonight?"

"It was late." Jack admitted. "Didn't want to wake you."

"I wouldn't have minded."

"Where's your cane?" Jack asked, leaving the other conversation where it was, as he noted the item's absence as Ianto walked with a slight limp to the nearest workstation unassisted. His bare feet were silent on the floor as he followed, concerned.

"Tourist Office." Ianto confessed. "It's fine Jack, my leg's healed now. I don't need to use a cane forever."

"Okay." Jack relented, resting his hand on Ianto's shoulder. "Just don't over-do it." Ianto nodded once more. Jack registered the folder in Ianto's hands for the first time . "What've you got?"

Ianto glanced over his shoulder at the sudden touch, but then back at the screens. "Some sort of funny weather patterns."

His stomach dropped as his fingers toyed with the petal in his pocket. This was the final sign, the one that solidified his fears, proving the petal hadn't just been a coincidence as he'd hoped. The fae were back, and that could only mean they were after one thing. Another chosen one.

"You know what it is?" Ianto asked, picking up on his tension.

"They've never really had a proper name." Jack started, mystically. "Something from the dawn of time. How could you possibly put a name to that?"

"Alien?"

"Worse." Jack replied, fearfully. "They're part of us, part of our world, yet we know nothing about them. So, we pretend to know what they look like. We see them as happy. We imagine they have tiny little wings and are bathed in moonlight."

"Faeries?" Ianto interpreted incredulously.

"They're usually called that, but I don't." Jack inferred. Through their bond he could sense Ianto's worry at his own apprehension. "I don't think they've ever really had a proper name but they play havoc on the weather." Jack added, this time nodding towards the monitor.

"I'll check the archives for anything more on these anomalies. Or even any mentions of fairies." He suggested.

Jack barely acknowledged him, still rather distracted as Ianto left. He hadn't thought of The Fae since Estelle Cole had last spoken of them, but he had no doubt it was them. The dream and the petal, combined with the unusual weather patterns, it couldn't have been anything else.

Speaking of which, he'd forgotten her latest lecture was today. He sighed, briefly wondering how many more coincidences were going to happen today.

"Oh, and make sure you're free at 11." Jack called out making Ianto pause and look back from the door down to the archives. "We're going out."

"Where exactly are we going?"

"I've had an invitation from an old friend." Jack answered, smiling readily. "But I have a feeling it might also shed some light on other matters."

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

When Ianto had awoken before dawn, shaken from another nightmare about a forest, he'd sensed something was going to be different about that day. The last few months, he had a weird feeling something was watching him, and swore he was becoming paranoid every time he thought he saw something move, but turned to see nothing there. He hadn't mentioned it to Jack, certain it was just a consequence to his encounter with Tanizaki, Lisa and the Police after Christmas, but it had now been four months. He should be over it by now.

Arriving at Cardiff's city hall with Jack later on that morning, he wasn't surprised to find a presentation on Faeries currently taking place. He did however wonder how Jack knew about it. They were late, Jack having been delayed by an important phone call, but they'd snuck quietly into the back row. At least, they'd attempted to, but despite their best efforts not to disturb the lecture, the moment the woman saw Jack, a bright smile lit up her face.

It didn't take Ianto long, from both their joyous expressions, and hint Jack's desire echoing through his own mind to understand, part of Jack's past relationship with the woman. The love from Jack, was the similar to what often felt directed towards himself, but he couldn't bring himself to feel any jealousy. Jack had had a long life, had loved others before him. It was only natural and his broad extensiveness of love he could offer would never diminish no matter how many times he'd loved. Or would love in the future.

"I suppose I'm one of the fortunate few who's been allowed to see our little friends. And it's been no easy task. One needs to have the patience of a saint and the blind faith of a prophet. But for me the long wait has been worthwhile." The elderly woman clicked forward onto the next slide before continuing. "This is my first picture. Not that clear, I know, but the ring of stones can be seen quite distinctly."

Ianto felt Jack tense beside him as the picture appeared on screen. The image showed a dense clearing of trees – probably in some nearby woodlands – but bright, white lights hovered undoubtedly above the ground. The image was blurred, but you could just distinguish the shape of a small figure in the light.

There was a polite scattering of applause around the room as she finished, but Ianto could sense Jack's distraction as he clapped.

"Wrong. She always gets it wrong."

He heard the words in his mind rather than by his ears. Since their relationship had been restored, so had their mental bond, and with practise it was now stronger than ever.

Jack kept a firm grip on Ianto's hand as they waited for the audience to leave, but Ianto saw as bright smiles adorned both their faces as the woman greeted Jack with a hug and kiss to his cheek.

"Jack, I'm so glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Jack returned the hug fondly, giving his own soft kiss in return and any suspicions Ianto had about their past relationship were gone in an instant. "Estelle, I would like you to meet Ianto Jones."

"It is nice to meet you, Ianto."

"You too ma'am." Ianto graced her with a warm smile. "Apologies for our lateness however."

"Nonsense." Estelle chided. "And it's Estelle, please."

"Estelle, when did you take these?" Jack interrupted from beside them, where he was looking through the slides.

"A couple of nights ago." She responded, taking the photos from his hand. "In Roundstone Wood."

"That's not far from here." Ianto chimed.

"So good to see you again, Jack." Estelle repeated as she flicked through the collection to find a specific photo. "Oh look, there's the wood."

"What's wrong?" Ianto asked sensing the even smallest trace of tension between the former lovers.

"Oh, Jack and I have always disagreed about fairies." Estelle rolled her eyes and Ianto could read her familiarity with the subject. "I only see the good ones. He only ever sees the bad."

"They're all bad." Jack argued with the same casualness.

"And I refuse to believe that."

"Well, I suppose one person's good could be somebody else's evil." Ianto supplied.

"That's what his father used to say." Estelle replied with fondness. "Oh, Jack, if only you had seen them there in the wood. They were happy, they were dancing, the fairy lights were shining."

"Do you have any more photos?" Ianto asked, distracting the two of them before they could continue their argument. Estelle nodded, her delight returning, and he felt Jack's warm smile without looking, his lover projecting his thanks.

Ianto and Jack followed Estelle back to her house and while Jack took care of the unpacking the screen and slide projector from the boot of her car, Ianto gathered her notes and lecture materials from the front seat and brought them into the house, the familiar actions of tidying distracting him.

Inside, Moses purred warmly as Estelle introduce him, gaining him a loud mentally pout from Jack.

'How? He never greets me.'

'Probably can tell you're not a cat person.' Ianto countered silently through their link.

He vaguely registered Estelle taking Moses outside, as a photo on the mantel caught his eye. Jack looked at same as always, dressed in his full uniform. He picked it up distractedly, drawing Jack's attention.

"You loved her, didn't you?" He asked aloud. While it was increasing strength, their mental communication still couldn't stretch further than a few sentences.

Jack glanced behind him to check Estelle wasn't in earshot before answering. "Yeah." He took the photo from his hand, swapping it with another from the mantel, this time of the two of them together. "A long time ago now."

Ianto gave Jack a soft smile and linked their hands together for a brief moment. He could tell without the other even saying, that Estelle had once been someone exceptionally special for the Captain, probably even still. Squeezing Jack's hand reassuringly one last time, he eventually slipped away from the other, leaving Jack to his memories as the latter finished inspecting the photos Estelle had collated for them.

Unconsciously, Ianto found himself tracking the older woman down into her garden.

"I saw them," Estelle started when she noticed him. "in Roundstone Wood, dancing among the stones." Her eyes were shining in recollection of the night. "They were glowing and laughing with such joy and freedom."

The awe in her description made Ianto feel uncomfortable. "Estelle," he said slowly, "Please promise me you'll be careful around them."

"You're as bad as Jack." Estelle turned around to judge his expression before rolling her eyes. "But yes, I will."

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

"Estelle shouldn't be living in town. She belongs in the countryside." Jack smiled warmly at the bright memories that filled his head as they made their way out the front gate of Estelle's front garden. "We met in London, at the Astoria ballroom when she was 17 years old. I loved her at first sight. We made a vow to be with each other till we died. But it couldn't last. Even without the war, it wouldn't have been long before she realised that I didn't age."

"How often do you get to see her?"

"We meet up now and again." Jack answered. "I tracked her down several years ago. Pretended to be my own son. I hated having to walk away; one of the most difficult decisions of my life. It was the war, promises were always getting broken, but I never should have made one I couldn't keep."

Ianto couldn't ignore the grief rolling of the older man. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Jack shrugged, shaking his head.

"Still…" Ianto added, but from Jack' now closed off expression, he knew it was time to change the subject. The case would at least distract him from his memories. "The Fae. Do you know why they're here?

"They want what's is theirs. The next Chosen One." Jack started to explain. "All these so-called faeries were children once, from different moments in time, going back millennia. Part of the lost lands."

"Lost lands?" He'd not heard that term before.

"The lands that belong to them." Jack affirmed. "Somehow children and the spirit world, they go together. And they protect their own. The Chosen Ones."

"How can we stop them?"

"First, we have to find out who they want." Jack theorized, unlocking the SVU as they approached. "But we can't trap them. They have control of the weather."

"Like me."

Jack's head snapped around, taken-aback by even the suggestion. "No, you're nothing like them." He urged, shaking his head. "They play games, torment and kill. And they leave red rose petals in their wake as a sort of calling card."

Jack thought he saw Ianto freeze but the latter shook it off quickly. "Red roses are a symbol of power, or even to congratulate a job well done."

Jack nodded. "We need to rope the team in on this. Find either them or their next chosen one before it's too late."

"I could stay here. Keep an eye out?" Ianto offered. "I've not got anything urgent to complete back at the Hub."

"Do you think they'll go after Estelle?" Jack probed, hoping Ianto wouldn't confirm one of his worst fears.

"I don't know, but you said yourself, we can't track these things." Ianto admitted. "But Estelle seems to have a connection with them. Maybe they'll show up anyway, even if not to harm her?"

"But what if they do?" Jack argued, hesitant to leave both his past and current lover in jeopardy. "You'll both be in danger. You can't escape them. Hell, you're not even cleared for field duty yet."

"Their powers control the weather." Ianto reminded him. "So can I. I can hold them off, at least for a while."

Jack mobile rang as he climbed into the SVU, cutting him off from protesting. He listened quietly, aware of Ianto hovering awkwardly outside the car, unsure whether he was getting in or not.

"That was Gwen." Jack informed expressively as he finished talking. "A convicted paedophile has just been found suffocated in a locked police cell."

"Coincidence?" Ianto answered, seeing where his mind was going.

"After everything else today, I wouldn't think so." Jack shut the driver's side door on himself, the window rolled down to allow for conversation. "I'll brief the rest of the team before checking it out. You can stay only if you call the second you see or hear something. Okay?"

"We'll be fine." Ianto assured, hoping above all things that he hadn't just jinxed himself.

Notes: Hmm, I actually think Small Worlds is one of my favourite eps. Not the top, Adam takes that place along with Countrycide etc, but say it's up there.

What about you?

See you next time!