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"No matter...what I do...I still...lose him."
Ianto's heart felt destroyed in that moment. How had he failed again? What use was a time spell if nothing ever changed?
"I'm so sorry, love. At least you tried, and he knew the truth in the end."
His tears continued to fall unchecked until the closet door flew open, and Ianto stared, dumbfounded, into his father's deep blue eyes. "Ianto, what in the world are you doing in the closet?"
"Father? You're alive?"
"Of course, I'm alive. What did you expect? You helped save me."
Ianto stepped out of Jack's arms and into his father's. He wrapped his arms tightly around Ianto and squeezed in a true hug that filled him with warm emotions. But how was this possible?
As Jack stepped out behind him, Ianto's father pulled him into the room and the bedroom door slammed open as Hadden burst into the room followed by their mother. Ianto dropped to his knees and gladly accepted the sticky hands and arms of his little brother. He gently tightened his body to his, loving the feel of his touch. His gaze travelled up and marvelled at the sight of the woman he'd missed so much. "Mother, you're alive, and you're here."
"Thanks to you and Jackson. If you hadn't come back to Torchwood, if you hadn't found that book, if you had given up, we wouldn't be here."
"You helped me so much. Everything you told Hadden, he passed it along to me. I couldn't have done it without you."
"He has a little lockbox of a memory, just like you." They smiled down at the grinning imp looking back up at them.
"And, father, you...how did you defeat the priestess?"
"I might have learned a thing or two from my assassin son. Not only can I fight with a sword, but I keep a dagger hidden in a scabbard up my sleeve. Even in my sleeping gown, I was able to pull it and stab the high priestess while she celebrated her so-called accomplishment. The minute she crumpled to the ground, former Captain Narcus spilled the whole plot." His deep breath seemed significant before he continued, "I never intended for you to assassinate a child. The High Priestess and Narcus knew you would think the worst of me for such a mission, so they set it up to drive a deeper wedge between us. I realize now just how the High Priestess manipulated all of us to get what she wanted. My dear boy, you never have to assassinate anyone for this kingdom again."
The relief Ianto felt was instantaneous. Everything made sense. No wonder he could never understand why he'd been tasked with such a horrific job. It felt good to know that his father hadn't been the monster he'd once believed. He was exactly who he'd thought he was.
Jack asked, "Where is old Narcus?"
"Currently, in a high-security facility far away from here."
Ianto looked around at his family, together for the first time, and everything felt right. His father stepped up beside him and said, "I owe you an apology. You never wanted to be an assassin. I believed the priestess when she said you would need to be tough to rule Torchwood. She insisted we send you to the Academy, said she'd been taken from her family at just such an age and that she'd turned out fine. Clearly, she was lying. I never wanted to hurt you. You mean the world to me."
"And I never should have listened to the priestess either. I can't believe I followed her right into a dimensional prison. I hung on, fighting, until she took Hadden away six months ago. I nearly gave up at that point, but then I remembered something my friend Rosie, the Baba Duke who lives in the other realm, once said. Oh, by the way, she was the one who sent Doc to you, Ianto, but I digress. Anyway, she said, 'Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch it to be sure.'"
"What's that have to do with anything, Mother?" Ianto was thoroughly confused.
"Nothing. Do you know what Baba Duke means? Bad Wolf. She was a little crazy, but what it told me was that I had to hang on so that I could share my crazy with all of you. I wouldn't want to deprive you."
Laughter filled the room, and Ianto was no longer surprised to see people of Torchwood finding joy in humour. he realized Torchwood wasn't necessarily a place without emotion. The people just needed to know it was okay to let emotions show. Let the freak flag fly, as they say in the earth realm. And, Ianto couldn't wait to share his newfound wisdom, and as he met Jack's gaze, he decided to start with one particular person.
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Jack and Ianto sat on the stone table in the circle and Jack knew this was where he would lose the man he loved. He had to have brought him here to tell him he wasn't worthy of a Prince. What else could this be?
"Jackson, there's so much I need to say to you, and after what we shared here, I thought this would be the perfect place." Jack drew in a deep breath, bracing for the blow that was sure to come. "Thank you for forcing me back to Torchwood. The chase was worth it."
"We worked well together, didn't we?"
"We really did, and I couldn't have done all that I did without you, which is why this is hard."
He clenched his jaw, readying for the words that would cleave his heart in two. He just hoped he didn't drag it out. He should just get to the point and let him down quickly.
"I don't want things to be weird between us when I say this."
Goddess, he was dragging it out. He threw up his hands and said, "I get it. Our time together was a mistake, and I won't get in the way of your royal life. I'll go somewhere far away from here, and you'll never see me again."
"Why would you say that?" Ianto asked with a frown.
"Isn't it obvious. I'm a poor orphan, living on the king's charity. You're a Prince. It would never work out. You don't have to spell it out to me." He got up to go, but Ianto's hand on his forearm stopped him. "I...I won't keep you here if you want to leave. But...you should know before you go..."
"I don't want your pity." He pulled free and walked to the edge of the forest, pausing to say over his shoulder, "Apparently, loving one does not make someone worthy of a Prince."
His strides were long and strong, and though he could've slid away, he wanted Ianto to see him leaving Torchwood forever. What he didn't expect, though, was the body that hit his back as Ianto leaped onto him, knocking him to the ground. He rolled Ianto to his back and stared down at him, wondering if he'd lost his fucking mind. "What are you doing?"
"You love me?"
He looked sharply to his left and gave a strong nod. Just let him use it to mock him once. He'd slide to the portal and be gone in seconds.
"I love you, too, Jack. That's what I wanted to tell you. I didn't want you to feel like you had to tell me the same thing. That's what I meant when I said I didn't want it to get awkward between us. I love you! And I was afraid you didn't feel the same."
"Goddess, how could I not? You are a fantasy come true." He lowered his lips to meet Ianto's, feeling time slow as all the love poured out of him, and he finally felt worthy of the love he offered. Together, they would build a kingdom where everyone exercised their life choices and felt as if they mattered, but above all, they never felt like they had to run away because the people of Torchwood, and maybe all the realms, had their back.
When they parted, Ianto laughed and said, "Do you have any blankets in that pack of yours? I thought maybe we could try out the stone slab in the light of day. What do you say?"
He reached for his backpack and began pulling blankets out. "I say, too far to go. This spot will do just fine."
And it was just fine right then...and forever after
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Thanks for reading xxxxx
Wait!
"What?"
OK… OK…. GOD!
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EPILOGUE
Toshiko sat nursing Janet in her lap, her hands gently stroking his fur as he sat staring lovingly up into her face. She could not help the sigh "Who would have thought that in the middle of all this, we might find one another."
"I know, kismet or some shit" Janet replies as he leans in to let his head rest over her left breast, her heartbeat soothing.
"shame."
"Hmmmm?"
"Unless you haven't noticed dear… you are a bloody cat!" Toshiko huffs.
"and you are a mouse… I know. Crazy huh?"
Toshiko feels an eye roll coming on as epic as Ianto can do and she explains "No, I mean we are not both humans."
"Oh" Janet leans back and looks intently into her face "Do you love me?"
"Yes."
"no… REALLLLLLLY love me?"
With a frown of annoyance she again says "YES!"
The cat reaches up and places his nose against her lips and she can not help but kiss his snout lovingly. The flash of light stopping all conversations in the room as everyone turned to see Toshiko sitting with a man in her lap.
"Hi. I'm Owen, nice to meet ya toots."
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THE END!