AN: My apologies for taking so long to update this story...i lost my notes...yes occasionally I do write notes...so here goes.
DON'T LOOK NOW: Part 13
Ianto stood on the thresh hold of the legendary time machine and gaped, open mouthed at the interior that arched above his head. He paused, taking in the coral struts and the sudden feeling of stepping into something alive and breathing as a warm wash of welcome flooded into his mind. It made him feel slightly giddy in a happy, gushing sort of way and he turned and smiled at Jack who was standing beside him, grasping his elbow to prevent him from falling over. Still smiling rather stupidly Ianto took a tentative step forward up the ramp.
"She's beautiful." Escaped his lips and that comment elicited broad grins from the both the Doctor and Jack alike.
"Yes, she is isn't she?" The Doctor was beaming. "Welcome aboard Mr Jones, glad to see you on your feet."
Ianto allowed himself to be guided to a ratty couch and he sat down, Jack plonking down beside him. Ianto continued to gaze about, his eyes wide and both Jack and the Doctor watched his wonderment, both wondering when the comment about the Tardis' dimensions was to come. It didn't.
"Is this where you live Doctor?"
The Doctor pulled off his glass and parked his backside against the console.
"Yes, the Tardis and I are sort of bound together I suppose."
Ianto nodded and turned to face him. "It's like living with your mother's love surrounding you, I mean that is what it feels like to me sitting here."
"She likes you."
Jack was looking at the Doctor intently, he had never felt anything of the sort from the old time machine. He couldn't decide whether he should be jealous or not but decided to change the subject anyway.
"So Doc what were you able to find out about Ianto's DNA?"
"Ah, that's really quite interesting you know." The Doctor leapt to his feet and ran round to the opposite side of the console, he began working a key pad there and brought up a series of diagrams on the screen in front. "Come and have a look at this."
Jack and Ianto were there at his side a moment later.
"Tell what we are looking at Doc."
The Doctor was smiling. "Your Dr Harper is really quite smart you know. He was quite right in stating that the differences between Ianto and the rest of you humans were minimal and that those differences were pretty much insignificant. It's not that Ianto is part alien, he's not from the future.... well his father wasn't. The DNA markers mean that his forebears jumped over from another dimension and judging by the possible numbers I'd go so far as to say that there were a reasonable amount of them that came over as well."
Ianto was intently studying the information on the screen. "So what's with the biological experimentations, what purpose does that serve?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I have no idea, but if there was some form of Eugenics or Biological war going on, it stands to reason that they may have been researching cures or other means of destroying one another."
"Surely we'd know about a dimensional breach?" Jack asked unconsciously rubbing the small of Ianto's back in a comforting gesture.
"Yes, the one at Canary Wharf.... but that was huge and giving off enormous amounts meson radiation. It's possible that there is a smaller breach that is being controlled to make it undetectable. If these people have been here for thirty odd years, maybe they are just biding their time until another breach opens up naturally....."
"Or they are able to open one up when they are ready to." Ianto added.
Neither Jack or the Doctor liked that train of thought.
"Either way there is little I can do short of scanning the entire planet for signs of the breach and hope we get lucky." The Doctor concluded. "I'll get to it right away, I'll look at amplifying the scans through your Rift Manipulator, it will increase the sensitivity of the scans."
Jack nodded. "Ok Tosh can set that up. Meanwhile, what about Ianto and the other patients?"
The Doctor gave him a cheerful grin. "Don't worry they'll all be fine. I made refinements to the drugs they were being given.... I did promise to have a look at your hands though, come this way." He practically bounced out of the console room and Ianto somehow wasn't surprised to discover that the TARDIS was even bigger than he first thought. He exchanged smiles with Jack and dutifully followed where the Doctor lead and Jack trailed behind, taking a moment to enjoy the fact that he was back on reassuring and familiar territory. Whilst the TARDIS had once been home, he came to understand that he had moved on since those heady days with the Doctor and Rose and that he had changed in every way that it was possible to change. Ianto was his home now and that was strangely reassuring even though he knew that Ianto would die all too soon and leave him alone again, if nothing else the trauma of the last few months had taught him to hold on to the younger man for as long as he could. It had been a long time since he felt the desire to be with someone til the end. Whatever end that may be.
They entered a small sterile white room set up with an exam couch and Ianto obligingly sat on the edge of it while the Doctor went to one of the cupboards and removed a silver flask. Ianto watched, slightly nervous. He looked to Jack for guidance but all Jack could was smile stupidly back.
"Nano genes Doc?"
The Doctor unscrewed the lid. "Hold out your hands Mr Jones."
Ianto hesitated.
"It's quite alright. It'll feel a bit tingly nothing more."
Ianto did as he was asked and the Doctor upended the flask and the contents engulfed Ianto's hands in a green phosphorous light. Fire flies danced around his damaged flesh and Ianto watched transfixed as his hands were repaired right before his very eyes. The Doctor and Jack had taken a step back so as not to confuse the nano's from their work.
"Wow." Ianto breathed. "They are.... extraordinary." The tingling was more of a tickle and Jack watched as a smile alighted on the young man's face, laughter followed and Jack could not help but chuckle and half wished Owen could see this. After some minutes and their work done the nanos dissipated and then vanished and Ianto was left staring at his perfect hands completely unable to take it in.
"Jack look." He held them up and Jack took them in his own.
"I can feel you again. That is amazing." Ianto faced the Doctor. "Thank you so much.... thank you."
"You see Ianto, not everything out there is all bad." Jack kissed his perfect fingers. "Thanks Doc."
Ianto gazed at his hands for a long time before sucking in a deep breath, a thought had occur to him.
"Jack, Owen said that my DNA abnormalities came from my Father, does that mean that he is still alive? I mean Mam would've known.... maybe she didn't if the person who get her pregnant was in fact my Father but from this parallel dimension. Euan Jones, I mean not my Tad, but Euan Jones.... am I making sense?"
Jack nodded. "Yes you are, but does it matter?"
Ianto nodded. "It means that Mam was telling the truth. I'll never be able to explain to her... That's... I mean it's nothing short of rape." His gut churned at the thought. "Is there any way of finding these people?"
"We're working on it Yan, but I'm not hopeful."
"Does that mean they'll try again? I mean it's not going to go away is it?"
Jack looked to the Doctor who shrugged. "I don't know Ianto, I really don't. Now without sounding over protective, you need to rest and let the rest of us do the thinking, ok?"
Ianto nodded. He wasn't ok about it, but he knew Jack was right and for once he decided to heed the advice.
"Can we go home then?"
"Yes."
Ianto turned to the Doctor. "You're welcome to join us. We have a nice spare room in the house."
"In Cardiff?"
Ianto nodded. "It overlooks the sea, though at this time of year the view is rather bleak."
The Doctor smiled. "I think a holiday and a pit stop is a good idea. It'll give the old girl a chance to recharge. Then I will see if I can't find evidence of this breach. Thank you Mr Jones."
"Ianto.. sir, call me Ianto."
"Ianto it is."