A.N. Sorry for the long delay my wonderful beta's got this to me a while ago I just haven't had time to post it due to school. We're in our last few weeks. Hope you like it!

I posted the next of the drabbles as well, don't forget to check it out!

Two Way Road

Chapter 1

By Wildfire

Ianto woke with a horrible start, his heart pounding fiercely within his chest. He became aware of a few things very quickly; first he was curled up into a very uncomfortable ball, second he was naked and third and perhaps the most horrifying, he was lying on the couch in the middle of the Hub.

He quickly jerked up only to be abruptly stopped midway. He gagged and quickly fell back, his hand going to his throat. He found his neck encircled by a thick collar connected to a short chain shackling him to the ground. His fingers scrabbled against the stiff leather and metal, a fumbling attempt to undo the collar, but it had no clasp. He tried to call out for Jack however only a weak strangled noise came out. He tried again and got the same result – shit, he couldn't talk.

He pulled at the chain futilely, sudden fear gripping him.

"Oi, Jack, your pet is having some sort of fit." The voice made Ianto jerk his head up, the collar digging into his throat. In front of him stood Owen - Owen bloody Harper, right there. But how? Owen was dead.

"Maybe he needs to be walked?" Tosh's soft soothing voice said, coming to stand beside Owen. Ianto's eyes welled up with tears when he saw her; he had forgotten how stunning she was.

"Or to get a good beating. Jack's much too nice to it." Ianto's blood curdled slightly at the new voice; Suzie Costello stood there, her leather gloves on, staring hard at Ianto.

Ianto wasn't sure if he should resume his pulling or just chalk this surreal situation up to the fact that he must be dreaming…or dead. Everyone around him was supposed to be dead after all. He'd think it was hell if it weren't for the fact that Tosh was there; Tosh could never go to hell. At least it wasn't darkness though; he remembered the darkness from the few times he'd died. Apparently that's all he'd got - a few meaningless deaths. He let out a little whimper that sounded more like a shuddering breath. Why couldn't he talk?

"Pretty, what are you doing?" Jack's voice boomed from behind him. He stood leaning on a railing grinning down in amusement at Ianto.

Ianto opened his mouth, but of course no sound came out, so he yanked deliberately at the chain, his eyes fixed on the Captain.

"See Jack, I told you, these things are a mess and a pain in the ass. We don't have the time to deal with them. I still can't believe you bought one." Owen scowled.

"You did say you would never support the trade, Jack," Tosh voiced softly.

"Well, you didn't see who was trying to buy him." Jack looked to Ianto, "Pretty didn't want to go with the mean man," he said in a baby voice.

Ianto blinked at him in surprise and growing irritation and pulled at the chain again.

"Maybe he needs to use the restroom, Jack," Tosh said, voicing her earlier guess again.

"He just went not an hour ago. Hope he's not getting sick." He moved over to Ianto with long strides. "Pretty, is your tummy upset?" he asked slowly, rubbing his own stomach as if to help Ianto understand.

Ianto wanted him to step a little closer so he could show him exactly what hurt. He gave another firm tug at the chain glaring at Jack the whole time. None of this made any sense, but he'd be damned if Jack wasn't going to fix it. Right now.

Jack tilted his head at Ianto, curious at the glare he was receiving. He warily came closer, "Pretty, that's a bad look," he admonished shaking his head. "Look down while I get you undone." The order held a hint of a threat.

Ianto's gaze didn't waver; all he did was give another pull at the chain.

Jack stopped . "Pretty, this behavior is not ok, look down or I won't take you to the bathroom," he said continuing to talk to Ianto like he was a very small child, or perhaps a dog.

Ianto's face hardened still more. He didn't begin to understand what the hell was going on. He didn't think he wanted to know why he was naked in the Hub full of long dead co-workers. He did however want to know why Jack thought it was ok to treat him like this.

Jack crossed his arms staring at Ianto. "Tosh, did we have anything weird go on in here today? Any spikes?"

Toshiko moved to her station pulling up the Rift log on the computer. "No, everything's been calm."

"Jack, it's nothing alien, your toy is just going rabid." Owen smirked. "They do that you know. "

"We could put it down," Suzie suggested calmly.

Tosh looked horrified at the idea; Jack looked a little sad.

"I think that's a bit extreme," Owen said, "The thing is glaring; it's not like he's foaming at the mouth. At least not yet."

"Maybe you ought to look at him, Owen. Maybe he's not glaring, maybe he's having a hearing issue and he's confused," Jack tried.

"Jack I'm a human Doctor, I don't know their... quirks."

"Owen, I've told you, physically they're just like you. If you can work on Tosh or Suzie you can work on him," Jack said still watching Ianto closely.

"Jack, they have Doctors trained to deal with them. I am not one of them." Owen crossed his arms stubbornly. "You know putting him down might not be a bad idea; he's bloody useless."

"That's not true… I've taught him to make coffee." Jack pouted.

"You taught him to make mud. Half the cup is coffee grounds!" Owen snapped.

"He sometimes forgets the filters, but he'll learn." Jack slowly started moving toward Ianto again. "He's a clever pet, he'll figure it out."

"Jack, he will never figure it out because his brain doesn't work like that. They're made to please others, not do chores," Suzie said with a shrug. "You're really expecting too much, from him. That's probably why he's pissy."

Jack came to stand right in front of Ianto. Ianto didn't move though his body was tense. Jack slowly kneeled down unlocking the chain and standing up. "Come along, Pretty." He started to lead Ianto to his office, and down the manhole. Jack stopped in front of the bathroom. "Alright, hurry up."

Ianto stared at him, and didn't move.

"Go use the rest room or we'll go back up," Jack warned.

Ianto had to think that was the weakest threat he'd ever heard, and as such he didn't move.

"Fine." As Jack headed back toward the ladder, Ianto grasped onto the chain with one hand and grabbed the bathroom door frame with the other.

Jack grunted as he came to an abrupt stop. He looked back at Ianto with wide eyes. "Let that go." Ianto didn't release his grip in the slightest.

"Pretty, I'll get your shocker. Just because I haven't used it before doesn't mean I won't use it now. Let go of that door," Jack ordered in a voice that reminded Ianto of how he reprimanded Jordan.

In reply Ianto tightened his grip on both the chain and the door frame.

"Ok." Jack strode toward the bed, and as Ianto watched him he realized he was heading toward a little ring set in the ground intending to fasten the chain to it. Immediately Ianto jumped up and yanked the chain back so Jack couldn't reach the ring.

Jack let out another grunt of surprise followed by a curse. "Damn it. Stop that!" He paused half a second before turning and heading straight toward Ianto.

Ianto was very good at avoiding Jack. He'd mastered the art during their 'Keep Away' and 'Naked Hide-and-Seek' sessions. Avoiding him now was a breeze. Jack let out a variety of cuss words as he struggled to get a grip on Ianto, all the while slowly gathering up the tether until he eventually managed to snag him around the waist with one arm.

Ianto jerked against the hold for a moment before sighing and leaning into Jack. Even so he made sure he kept his body tense so he could jerk away if Jack tried anything. None of this made any sense.

"Is this a new game, Pretty?" Jack asked his hand running up and down Ianto's arm in a soothing manner. "When I told you I liked you being inventive I didn't mean like this. Who even taught you this behavior?"

Ianto turned around sharply so he could see Jack's face, Jack's arms tightened on him. Ianto stared at the man holding him. He looked like Jack; his eyes held the same depth as Jack's did, he had the same grin…

Ianto made to pull away, but Jack's arms wouldn't allow it. He looked up at Jack with pleading eyes.

Jack frowned at him, and hesitating fractionally let him go, clicking something on his wrist band which made the manhole slam shut, sealing them in. Ianto's stared at the metal hatch, eyes wide before turning to look at Jack with the same shocked expression. He was actually now feeling a little threatened; he hadn't felt threatened by Jack in a long time.

Jack approached him slowly, and reaching up he unclasped the chain from the collar. Ianto blinked at him uncertainly, and quickly stepped back out of his reach.

"Alright," Jack said smoothly. "So let's assume you've suddenly decided to forget everything you've ever known or been trained. Let's pretend you don't understand what's going on. Now here's the big one, let's pretend you do understand that you're human." He paused as if waiting for something. "Now, as you're not on the ground groveling and trying to please me with desperate tears…" He crossed his arms frowning. "Pretty, you know what happens to pets that think they're human. You don't want that, do you?"

Ianto glared at him and crossed his own arms; the position felt curiously odd. He looked down at his fingers noticing for the first time that they were curled to the second knuckle, almost claw-like. He held his hand out and tried to straighten his fingers but they started to cramp immediately, refusing to uncurl. He let out a small gasp and jumped as Jack's hand rested on his.

"Humans have straight fingers, pets have pawed fingers," he said softly massaging Ianto's hand. "You know these things, Pretty. You know you're a pet. It's probably confusing here, I know. You see so many creatures that are much more foreign than you. But Pretty…you are a pet."

Anger lanced through Ianto at the idea and before he even recognized what he was doing he had punched Jack in the face as hard as he could. Jack gasped stumbling back, and glanced up with a look of combined shock and amusement. He wiped the blood from his lip. "Pretty, you know I'm suppose to return you if you get violent right? You know what happens to returned pets," he warned with a raised eyebrow.

Ianto hadn't a clue what Jack was talking about, nor did it matter. He could tell by the way Jack was looking at him that it was an empty threat. Jack had never liked simple compliance; he liked a challenge, he liked puzzles and he liked a little danger. Right now Ianto was apparently ticking the correct boxes and offering all of the above.

Keeping his expression neutral he continued to watch Jack carefully, his heart pounding. Ianto was playing with fire at this point and he knew it.

Jack smirked. "So what is it you want, Pretty? What game is this?"

Ianto pointed to his throat.

"No, we won't remove the collar" Jack shook his head. "Not that I think you actually want that anyway. Last time I saw a pet have his collar removed he actually worked himself up into such a frenzy he had a heart attack. I don't think I'm quite ready to be rid of you yet. You're really a great source of entertainment." Jack dropped onto the small cot bed. "You know, it's times like this I wish you could speak. So you could tell me what you're trying to do."

Ianto clapped. That was exactly what he wanted to know. He wanted to understand why he couldn't speak. Ianto nodded at him.

"Speaking? Sorry, Pretty, I can't help you with that one. They've convinced the masses that you can't speak because you are underdeveloped and you're not completely human. Truth is, the reason why no pet can speak is because they remove your voice box. That collar of yours covers it up." Jack made a show of stretching out on the bed never letting his eyes stray from Ianto's face. It was clear he did not trust him at all. Ianto couldn't blame him for that; it made perfect sense to be wary of your slave if they suddenly grew a back bone.

A bloody slave… Ianto looked around the room, taking everything in. It was just as he remembered it. The little room brought back more than a few fond memories. He had never thought he'd see it again; it had been blown up after all.

He moved swiftly to Jack's closet opening it up. He could hear Jack moving behind him, but he ignored him pulling out one of Jack's blue shirts and a pair of slacks. They would be too big for him, Jack had a bulkier build, but it was certainly better than nothing.

He refused to walk around naked. He didn't care what had happened, he was not a slave and he would not tolerate being treated as such. He started dressing; he was surprised how hard such a simple action was, since his body wasn't use to the action and was therefore clumsy in its movements. He was exceedingly slow at buttoning up the shirt, his crooked fingers protesting the motion and cramping painfully after the third button. Hmm, maybe this is what arthritis would be like, he thought idly. Ignoring the cramping he reached for the pants, but a hand stopped him. He looked up at Jack, who currently wore his confused/angry face. Well, that was what Ianto called it; it was the face he'd make when he didn't know what was going on, but didn't want people to know that so he tried to look angry instead.

"You don't wear clothes, Pretty." Jack's voice was sharp. "When I tried to encourage you to before, you had a near meltdown and wouldn't stop cowering. So, why are you suddenly just fine with putting them on?" Jack's hand grabbed onto Ianto's face, holding it steady as he stared into Ianto's eyes. "I find it very hard to believe you've just suddenly decided to change everything about you. You're my Pretty, I did a scan on you. You show no signs of any foreign entity in you. So that leads me to believe you're either very clever at hiding yourself within this form or you suddenly had something happen to you that's made you understand what's going on. To my knowledge though, nothing's happened to you, and there's no sign of any alien force entering the Hub. So, Pretty, you seem to have developed some level of intelligence. Tell me what's going on."

Ianto watched Jack closely, as the man now had his hand hovering dangerously close to his gun. Ianto had no idea if he was immortal in this strange reality, but he did know he'd be expendable and he wasn't willing to risk it.

Jack suddenly started fiddling with his wrist strap again, and Ianto jerked as an electric shock passed through him. His body scrambled back before he'd even thought about it.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Jack apologized soothingly. " I'm just having a more extensive look at you. There's nothing alien about you. Nothing controlling your mind. So why are you acting like this? Why was my Pretty not climbing onto my bed when I was stretched out on it?" Jack reached across and ran his thumb over Ianto's bottom lip.

Ianto stared back at him, unsure of what to do. If he made Jack think he was a threat he'd never be given the chance to figure out what was going on, but he couldn't just act like a slave either.

His mind raced as he struggled to think what to do. Adrenalin was pumping through his body keeping his senses alert and panic to the side. He was sure he'd pay for it later, with a massive breakdown. Maybe he could keep it buried until he was at least hidden in a bathroom, it might be the only time he wasn't watched.

Jack broke through his thought pattern with a firm kiss, and Ianto kissed back his instincts taking over before he'd even considered whether responding to Jack's overtures was wise. The kiss was short and stinging, but it was enough to calm Ianto and chip at the wall he'd built.

Jack was looking at him with such an odd expression, it was one Ianto didn't even recognize: confusion, worry, wariness…

Ianto blinked in surprise as Jack brushed a tear off his cheek. He hadn't even realized that he had allowed the tear to escape.

"All right, Pretty, you can wear clothing. I won't tether you, if you agree to stay by my side. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Jack asked keeping his voice slow.

Ianto felt the urge to roll his eyes, but he doubted Jack would react well to that. Instead he reached for the pants that Jack held.

Jack let them go, without argument. "You know that if you're going to be acting more human you really are going to have to learn how to make coffee. Owen won't take the excuse of you being a pet once he realizes you're just as intelligent as anyone else."

Ianto wished he could tell him that he was far more intelligent than Owen. Of course, Owen could read books and do anything medically, but Ianto was clever. Sometimes he was a little devious, but only when the necessity demanded it. He liked being clever, and being able to remember everything. He liked when Jack smiled at him, purely proud that Ianto was his.

He nearly fell over as he tried to pull the pants on; apparently balance was another thing this body didn't know. Jack's hands steadied him, holding him up as Ianto got the pants on. Jack buttoned and zipped them for him.

"All right." Jack clapped his hands than typed something into his wrist band and the manhole clicked open. "So, stay close to me at all times, we'll say 10 feet…err, two arm lengths away." He held his arm out showing Ianto the length.

Ianto couldn't help but smile at the way Jack kept dumbing down his instructions for him. It was a little cute, and very disturbing. He headed for the ladder and climbed up, waiting right by the hatch as Jack climbed out after him. Visually this room wasn't too different from the new one in his reality. The one Gwen had had built was pretty close to how Jack originally kept it. The feel of this room was slightly different though; it felt almost homey, lived in.

Jack came up, standing beside him grinning. Ianto had no clue why, he again resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Turning he moved toward the door.

He had barely taken a step when Jack caught him around the waist pulling him against him. "Pretty, you are adorable in my clothing. It's a pretty close fit, though you're taller than you seem." He nuzzled Ianto's neck.

Ianto tilted his head to allow Jack more room; although he knew if he didn't pull away soon Jack would mark him. His Jack loved marking him. Sure enough it was barely a moment later that Ianto felt Jack start nibbling and sucking at the side of his neck. It was oddly comforting that even in this strange place Jack was the same.

Please review and let me know what you think!