Chapter 21
Ianto stared at his mobile. 9 missed calls, 5 from Arabella and 4 from Dexter.
They'd been trying to get a hold of him since Abaddon 3 days ago, to make sure he and Jack were ok.
He didn't have the courage right now to talk to them, to tell them this time Jack hadn't come back.
Swallowing his tears he tried to get back to work straightening Jack's office.
Straightening the papers on the desk Ianto glanced up spotting Jack's coat hanging on its hook, where Tosh had placed it after they'd changed him into the white gown he now wore.
Lifting the coat off the hook he relished the familiar weight and texture of it, remembering it's owner wrapping it around them both one cold night as they sat on the roof.
Knowing that Jack would never wear that coat again tore at his heart, the emotions he'd been holding in keeping hidden from the others bubbled to the surface to fast for him to catch.
Bringing the coat to his face he could still smell Jack on it and that was all it took for the damn to break as he sobbed brokenly into his lover's favourite coat.
Sinking to his knees in the middle of the office unaware of Tosh's sad gaze he sunk into despair at the loss of the mate he'd never had the chance to really be with.
With one last look at her broken friend Tosh left him to his grief determined to keep the other two away from this area for as long as she could to give Ianto his privacy.
Then tonight she would take him home and care for him like he did for her when she needed it after Mary.
He didn't know how long he'd been there but after a while he could hear Owen wandering around outside swearing about something.
Realising he didn't have the energy to deal with the doctor if he found him sobbing into his 'Boss's' coat he quickly climbed to his feet again.
Straightening himself up as best he could he hung Jack's coat back on the rack surprised when an envelope fluttered down to the floor.
"Ianto where the hell are you?!" Owen called from just outside the door, hand reaching for the handle.
Ianto glanced at the door he quickly scooped the envelope up and sped from the room.
Owen swung the door open to see an empty room as a few papers fluttered to the floor off the desk.
Ianto stopped down one of the long corridors of the hub knowing it would take the others quite a while to find him.
Looking down at the envelope that had fallen from Jack's coat pocket he stared down at it in confusion where Jack's handwriting had neatly written his name in the centre.
For a minute he contemplated reading it or not before sighing and slipping the card from its envelope.
It was a simple card nothing overly romantic just a simple heart on the side of a coffee cup, where he'd found it Ianto would never know but the thought that went into it made Ianto's heart ache.
Opening the card he sunk to his knees as he began to read the message inside.
Dear Ianto
You're probably going to think I'm being a bit sappy but I wanted to do this properly, even if it's a little late.
While human's give each other rings when they propose Pirask do something a little different when they ask another to be their Mate. They give them a gift, something that signifies that they will always take care of them no matter what happens.
Dex built Ari a house believe it or not, mind you it was in the 1800s.
It took me a little while to come up with it but I finally worked it out.
Go into the depths of the hub to the sub basement storage unit 42 and you'll find your gift.
Love Jack
P.S - I hope you like it and it'll make sense of my mysterious packages and disappearing acts when you see it.
Putting the card carefully back in its envelope Ianto quickly made his way through the lower levels of the hub, to a place where only he and Jack knew how to find.
Coming across the correct door Ianto was surprised to see the heavy iron door was closed, it had taken four people to move the damn thing last time.
Upon closer inspection he saw it was rigged with some sort or opening mechanism and security system complete with palm scan.
Ianto bit his lip wondering whether he would have access yet or whether it was something Jack had still yet to do.
Pressing his hand to the scanner he let out the breath he didn't even realised he'd been holding as the scanner beeped happily and the mechanism whirling to life moving the heavy door open for him to enter.
Ianto stared around the room in confusion.
It looked like a gymnastics heaven with the whole floor covered in some sort of cushiony mat to protect you from to much injury if you fell. There were a few sets of parallel bars next to each other to make a set of nine along one wall with varying heights to them. Some balance beans set around the room, a couple of pommel horses, nine sets of rings strategically placed around the room and looking around Ianto could see several landings scattered around the high walls at various height with no obvious way up to them. From the roof hung a few bars and ropes that couldn't be reached from the ground as well as a few metal landings suspended from the roof.
Ianto stared around the room in confusion until his eyes landed on the small living area tucked away in one corner.
Making his way towards it he noticed it contained a coach, coffee table, fridge, sink, mini coffee machine and what looked like a mattress covered in pillows and a mink blanket.
Sitting down on the coach he stared around in confusion.
A file on the coffee table caught his attention and he picked it up flipping it open he began to read the first page.
Yan
I know how much you like records of things so I've made this instruction book for you. :D
In case I haven't explained it very well in person, here we go again.
This is a training room for you. It's for you and you alone, though I'll probably be in here with you on some occasions, sometimes for training… sometimes not, hence the bed.
It's built from a mixture of modern, futuristic and alien components to allow you to train and exercise your Pirask abilities in a private and controlled environment.
I borrowed your PDA one day while you weren't looking and set up all the control systems in there for the room (I also have a set in my wrist strap and there's a third control device in my private safe, just in case) It's under a file called workout and the password is Stopwatch!
The controls activate the temperature, lighting, simulated gravity and also the droids you can program to spar against (they're the human looking ones) and the droids you can set to chase or be chased around the room (they're the ones that look like mini cats).
I hope this helps and is a lot more suitable than buying you a house for my proposal gift.
Jack x
Tosh was sitting at her desk staring into space when she felt a hand come down and rest on her shoulder.
Jumping slightly in surprise she spun around to find Ianto standing there looking like death warmed-up, her heart ached staring at her best friend knowing that no matter what she was feeling, Ianto must have been so much worse.
"Tosh will you do something for me?" Ianto asked, voice hoarse, eyes a little red, letting Tosh know that he'd recently been crying.
"Of course Ianto, anything." Tosh said standing up and pulling you younger man into her arms.
He stiffened for a minute and then realising they were along relaxed into her comforting arms.
"Get Gwen away from Jack, just for a while, so I can say g…" his voice hitched and Tosh held him tighter, "So I can say goodbye,"
Pulling back slightly and pressing a kiss to his forehead she gave him a watery smile.
"Just you watch me," she whispered before heading off towards the morgue.
Ianto listened as Tosh lead Gwen out of the morgue and down the hall before stepping out of the shadows where he'd been hiding.
Taking a deep breath he made his way across the cold room to where the draw with his lover sat still open the crisp white gown and pale skin an odd look for their captain.
Pulling Gwen's stool up beside the draw he sat on it taking Jack's hand in his, holding it close to his chest smiling slightly at the wrist strap still firmly in place.
One hand holding Jack's cold hand to his heart he reached out with the other hand to cup Jack's cheek, the skin now feeling uncomfortably cold beneath his palm, nothing like all the other times he's preformed the gesture in the past.
"I found you're gift. I love it!... but I don't want it. Not unless you're here to share it with me, to teach me, to give it to me yourself." Ianto said tears slipping unchecked down his cheeks, he didn't care anymore, he didn't care if the others saw him he just wanted Jack back, he wanted the Mate that was stolen from him.
"I said yes you big idiot. That wasn't an invitation to go and die on me, it was supposed to be incentive to come back in one piece." Ianto carefully brushed Jack's hair from his forehead back into its normal place.
"You promised me. You promised me you'd never leave me like this. That you'd always be around to talk to. To help me through this, being something I'm still not entirely used to, living so long while me friend die. You're supposed to be here with me, supporting me. Just like I promised to support you. Dw i'n dy garu di Jack. Dw i'n dy garu di." Ianto whispered standing up so he could press a firm kiss to Jack's cold unresponsive lips.
Hearing footsteps he quickly pulled away, bringing forth his abilities he listened as Gwen and Tosh got closer, it was to late for him to duck back into his original hiding place he'd be seen.
He might not care what the other thought but he couldn't be stuffed putting up with Gwen fawning over Jack, not right now.
Leaping up onto one of the support beams high above he skimmed along them to just above the doorway.
Waiting until Gwen and then Tosh passed beneath him he dropped down silently through the doorway while there back's were turned.
He listened as they stoped by Jack's draw Gwen once again taking her seat by his side, where he should still be, where he should never have been kept from.
"It's been days. We have to face up to it. He's not coming back." Tosh said sternly to Gwen, words she would never say to him, words he was never meant to hear from her because she knew, they would break his heart, and they did he realised making his way back towards the main area of the Hub.
It was cold and dark but he was so tired, oh so tired.
He'd forgotten something but… he just wanted to sleep, sleep and heal.
There was nothing there haunting him at the moment so he could rest for a while, he'd scared off the monster.
There was someone with him again… but this one was different somehow, he could feel this one.
He knew him, knew them all, but he couldn't quite remember… he was tired, wanted to sleep.
The person began talking to him, a dull hum a long way away like it always was, no enough to understand just to know, it was comforting.
But wait he could hear words.
"Gift… share… me… idiot… back… promised… always…" why could he hear this one, was he special, he could hear him, feel him when he could feel no others.
Cold, dark, tired.
A sentence.
"Dw i'n dy garu di Jack."
Jack, that was him, but he didn't understand the other words, they were completely unknown to him and not just due to his sleeping state, they were unknown, another language, yet the sound of them was familiar.
Thick, rich, smooth, warmth.
Accents, suits, coffee, kisses.
A kiss is pressed to his lips, warm familiar lips.
Ianto!
Oh god, Ianto. He remembered! He has to get back to him, back to the team. Follow the voice, the touch, follow Ianto.
But the voice has stopped! He can't feel him anymore! No Ianto keep talking to me, come back to me.
He began to panic not knowing his way back, having been in the dark so long he'd become lost within it.
Another presence is there, two, whispers, not anywhere near as strong as his connection with Ianto, but enough for him to hear whispers, the hum like before.
He's almost there when the voices stop.
No he's so close so close to finding his way back, his way home.
A feather light touch on his lips, someone different has kissed him, it's barely there, he can hardly feel it, not like Ianto's but it was enough.
That's it, he's found it, he knows the way now!
Heart restarting, blood pounding, muscles aching, lungs gasping for breath.
He's alive, he's found his way home.
To earth, the hub, his team, Ianto.
"Thank you." He whispers to whoever might be listening
Thank you for letting me find my way home again.