Chapter 16: A Moment's Reflection
Ianto reached the bottom of the ladder and placed the mug on a small table. Jack was still in the shower, he could hear the water running, and he should have left. Jack liked a modicum of privacy and did not expect Ianto to appear in his quarters unless invited. But today Ianto could not stand the thought of going back into the Hub. The other Jacks, particularly Jack 5, were crowding him and fussing him and he hated it. Also, he had seen the way Owen had looked at him, smirking at the attention he, Ianto, was receiving. And Gwen and Tosh were not a lot better. He sat on the bed and wondered if he could hide here until they'd all gone and things got back to normal, with just his Jack.
"Are you hiding?" asked Jack, correctly interpreting Ianto's presence in his quarters. He was standing just inside the room, a towel round his waist. He started to use another towel to dry his hair but winced and stopped.
"Let me," offered Ianto, rising and moving forward.
"Thanks. Still a bit sore." He handed the towel to Ianto. "Do I smell coffee?"
"Yes, I brought you some down. That's why I'm here – but I did want to get away from them." Ianto waited for Jack to pick up his coffee and sit down on a stool before towelling his hair. "Jack, about earlier ..." Ianto began.
"If you're going to apologise, don't. You didn't know what it was and it was not your fault." Jack was sipping his coffee with evident pleasure.
"You died because I was careless," Ianto continued, unwilling to be side-tracked. Jack's hair was now all but dry and he returned the towel to the bathroom. When he stepped back into the bedroom, Jack was standing and beginning to dress.
"And if I hadn't, you'd be dead. I don't want to lose you any sooner than I have to," Jack responded. "Besides, look what happened as a result. You now have five of me lusting after you." He grinned.
Ianto was horrified. "I don't want them! I want to be with you, Jack. They're, well, they're you but they're not you." He could not put into words how he felt so stopped trying.
Jack slipped on a T-shirt and tucked it into his trousers. "They're a strange lot, from what little I've seen. Happy in the 1930s, angry in the '60s, not much different in the 2200s and Dr Doolittle by 4693!" He chuckled, "I'd really like to know more about the last one. Shame I won't." He took a swig of his coffee.
"They were talking while I made the coffee. They said that Jack 2, the one from 1934, is married." Ianto watched Jack carefully.
"That's right, one of my three marriages – so far! That was Angela, a lovely girl." Jack looked sad as he remembered a lost love. He reached for his favourite dark blue shirt and put it on.
"What happened to her?" Ianto was learning more; three marriages!
"She died young," he said shortly, no longer enjoying the memory. He turned to face Ianto, "But don't say anything to Jack 2! The timelines are going to go to pot if we're together much longer." He looked worried.
"I don't want to tell tales but the other Jacks were talking about this stuff." Jack frowned so Ianto quickly added, "I don't understand how you can all be together at one time. I thought that was a time paradox and everything was thrown out of kilter."
"I've been wondering about that myself." He pulled on a waistcoat, he felt cold, and swallowed the last of the coffee. "Come on, let's see what's happening up there and find some answers."