Chapter Eight: John Hart

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"The last time I saw him he was walking down lover's lane holding his own hand."
Fred Allen

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"What, exactly, do you mean by that?" the chilly calm of Ianto's voice surprised even him.

John shot him a startled look. He swallowed the last of his drink as if trying to cover his surprise. "Ask your husband there about the Time Agency, Eye Candy," his tone remained snide. "Ask him about those two missing years of his… or didn't he mention that?"

"I told him," Jack's tone was just as cold as his partner's, but not nearly so calm. "There is nothing he doesn't know about my past, John. Nothing you can surprise him with."

The other former Agent's expression made it clear he didn't believe it. He verbalized as much with a simple, half muttered "doubt it." He swished the melting ice around in his glass and swallowed the last of the severely watered down alcohol.

"The Time Agency won't be around for another fifty years," Ianto began. Jack had promised him, they were safe here.

"Oooh and you were doing so well," John's tone was scathing. "Time Agency, Eye Candy, as in travels through space and time, just like your dashing Captain there." He signalled the barkeep for another drink

Ianto gave over an exasperated sigh. "I know that. What I meant was…"

"Leave it," Jack advised him. He fixed John with a dark look. "Whatever you have to say… say it."

"I already did," John insisted.

"What do you really know?" asked Jack.

The other mans' expression softened. "I don't know anything… nothing concrete, anyway," he took a big swig of his drink. "I just know that something… something might happen here. Now. I swear, Jack, all I know is that it's a possibility. It shouldn't exactly come as the shock of the century, you know," he knocked back most of the rest of the liquid in his glass, chomping down hard on an ice cube that ended up in his mouth. "You pissed off a lot of people when you left us like that. It didn't get any better once they figured out you were living nice and cozy in the past… oh yeah, and conning younger agents… falsifying artefacts… stealing money from the Agency. Did he tell you that story…?" he fixed the young Welshman with an icy stare.

"Yes," Jack and Ianto said at the same time.

"Damn. Looks like I'll have to go digging all the way to the back of your closet for skeletons," he winked at Jack.

Ianto put down his glass harder than he'd wanted to; it was just the way John said that… his tone…that look in his eye…

John smirked, clearly pleased at himself for finally getting to the young twenty-first century man.

Jack moved closer to his partner, encircling his waist with both hands. It had the desired effect; John gave a disgusted look. Rolling his eyes he finished his drink and announced that his work was done, he was leaving. "Unless of course you two would like a house guest… what do you say? Put an old friend up on your sofa?"

"You will never be a friend," Ianto told him, "'old' or otherwise."

"Still, I did come all this way to do you a favour… you could at least put me up overnight… what d'you say? Jack?" he looked to his former partner hopefully.

Ianto turned to look at him too when he realized by his silence that Jack was actually considering it… he gave him a warning look. There was no way…

"Come on, Jack… Ianto… one night," John said in an inveigling tone, seeing he actually had a chance. "I'll even cook dinner… I'm wicked in the kitchen… or any other room you'd like me to be wicked in," he raised his eyebrows suggestively. "It could be just like old times…"

"No," said Jack. "It couldn't." His tone left no room for even John to try and wheedle his way any further into their lives than he had already.

Just the same, Ianto knew what was coming next. He wasn't happy about it, even if he understood that what Jack really wanted was more information out of the other man. His former partner…

Friends close, enemies closer, the Welshman reminded himself as the three of them headed back to the train, his earlier good mood completely evaporated. He had actually been enjoying himself… his hatred of Jack's contemporary grew exponentially.

It crossed his mind, and probably Jack's too, he reckoned, that this Time Agency of theirs might be using John to get close to Jack… but Ianto suspected they wouldn't have had that much difficulty tracking Jack down all on their own. They didn't need John to find him; they'd dropped Jack's mother right on their doorstep after all.

They had known exactly where Gray was, who had him; they had told her exactly where to go to find Torchwood. They'd merely neglected to mention to Ella that her other son was Torchwood's leader…

It made Ianto believe that they really were all a bunch of sadistic psychopaths… it made him wonder what kind of man Jack had been before he met the Doctor… he wondered if that wasn't half the point… make me doubt him… doubt us… Jack had told him enough about his life with the Time Agency for him to figure out that they didn't just play about with time. They played with people's heads, with their lives. They had taken two years out of Jack's and left him with no memories of what he'd done…

"Nice place you have here," John's tone, as he looked around Jack and Ianto's apartment, was impossible to fully interpret… he sounded sincere, but that made the Welshman doubt him all the more. "Not very personable, though… but I'll bet that's you," he glanced at Ianto. "Jack here is quite the clutter bug… good in the kitchen, though," he winked at Jack.

"Enough," the older man said in a cold, curt, tone. "We said you could stay the night. One night. In the morning I want you gone. In the meantime, how about at least trying to pretend you know how to be a good houseguest." It wasn't a question. It wasn't even a request.

"Ooh, I love it when he gets all tough and masculine, don't you, Eye Candy?" he waggled his brows at Ianto.

"I'm going to start dinner," the younger man replied in a dull tone, ignoring the question all together.

"Do you have anything to drink?" John queried, flopping down on the sofa (over the back of it), and resting his feet, dirty boots and all, on the coffee table.

"No," Ianto called from the kitchen. "And get your grimy shoes off the furniture!"

John smirked in Jack's direction. "Touchy, isn't he? I don't know how you put up with it. As I recall you hated being bossed around," he flashed the other a wry little grin. "At least not unless I got you tied up… then you could be remarkably complaint… are you as compliant for your little wife?" he nodded in the direction of the kitchen.

Jack settled himself into a chair on the other side of the room. "What do you want?"

"A drink might be nice."

Jack shot him a look that clearly communicated he wasn't going to get anything if he didn't stop playing games. He knew… or at least he hoped… that Ianto had used cooking as an excuse to give he and John a few minutes alone.

John had wanted something. He always wanted something. He'd wanted to get closer. Jack only gave that to him because everything with John was a negotiation. Give. Take. Give. Take. Give… try not to get taken in… he reminded himself. "What do you really want, John? Why are you here?"

He heaved a heavy sigh. "I told you. Honestly. I still care about you, Jack. I will always love you," his tone seemed sincere.

"Fine. Just don't expect it to be reciprocal."

The other man stood; he wandered over towards the balcony door and let himself out. As predicted, the older man joined him. He kept a healthy distance, however… he tried to pretend that didn't bother him. There had been a time when the man calling himself Captain Jack Harkness couldn't keep his hands off him…

"You pushed me off a building," the other reminded him, understanding the thought process he saw in his former partner's eyes. "You expected it to kill me."

"Touché."

"This isn't a game, John," he glanced back into the apartment… Ianto was still in the kitchen. He said another name…

The other man's eyebrows shot up. "So you remember my name at least," his tone was wistful. As Time Agents they changed names so many times… he stepped closer; the other stayed his ground. "Tell me something honestly," he reciprocated using the other's given name. "What does he give you that I can't?" he cast a quick glance towards the apartment, as if there was any doubt about whom he was speaking.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I could have given you a little bun in the oven…"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't ever have done something like this with you."

"What is it with you and bookworms, Jack?"

"What?"

"Come on… why do you always end up loyal to the lost little lambs of the universe when you could have a tiger like me at your side? Willing to fight for you… kill for you. I would have done anything for you. I still would. I can be domestic… I'll even put on a suit and serve you coffee in bed…"

"If the only reason you're here…" Jack's tone was one of warning. If this was just a game…

"No," he turned away, glancing out over the city. "That's just curiosity talking," he couldn't keep the hurt from his tone. "I honestly don't understand what you see in him. What you saw in that other one. Roan."

Jack swallowed. Being so close to Roan's time… Jason's… his own… "That was complicated. And it was a long time ago."

"For you."

"For you, too."

"We really did have something, you and me…"

"No. We didn't."

John turned to face him, "Why won't you give me just that much? Why won't you at least admit that you loved me?"

"Because it's over. I'm not that person any more."

"So who are you now, Mr. Mom?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, "I think you've spent too much time watching twentieth century television."

"Not much else I could do, was there?" He turned, leaning his back against the balcony railing. "God is that a boring little planet you settled on. I don't know how you lived there for what… two hundred years? How did you ever manage it without going completely mad?"

"How did you get here, anyway?" Jack answered John's question with one of his own. "I thought…" he glanced at John's wrist strap. Gray had disabled it.

"I fixed it…I always was more clever than you," he shot over a wry smirk. "I could have a look at yours if you like…" he raised his eyebrows suggestively, the innuendo clear.

"No. Thanks," he added almost as an after thought.

"You're really happy there? That little blue ball…? When you could have all this…?" he gestured towards the sky.

"I am completely happy there," he laid a hand on his midsection without realizing it. Then he gave the other man a long, speculative look before asking him if he was serious about the Agency looking for him or if that was just another one of John's lies, just some ploy to disrupt his life.

"I… yes. Honestly," he promised when it became clear Jack didn't believe him. "I don't know if they'll find you, Jack, here or anywhere else, but I know they're looking. I left Earth a while ago. I've been travelling… you know… seeing the sights," he glanced out at the city again, over his shoulder. "Could you have picked a more boring little out of the way little rock to have a kid? Gawd, this place is even worse than Earth."

"That was the point."

John didn't comment.

"The Agency?" Jack prompted.

"You were right about our old boss not helping your mother find Gray out of the goodness of her heart. I just don't know what she wants from you or why she hasn't made a move. My contacts are pretty limited these days."

"Those two years the Agency stole from me…?"

John shook his head. "Sorry. No idea." His tone was such that Jack believed him. "They took those same two years from me, you know, when they took you away from me. I went out of my mind when you vanished, when nobody would tell me anything… I did search for you, Jack," he reached for the other man's hand.

He pulled back. "Don't."

"I know you loved me. You weren't ever going to leave your little librarian… not that I cared. Husband, kid, whatever," he shrugged. "You warmed my bed more than you ever warmed his... more than you warmed anybody else's at the time. You did love me, Jack. Just admit it… just say the words… what will it hurt?"

Jack looked him straight in the eye. "Like I said before. It was a long time ago. It's over. "

"Is that why you didn't invite me to the wedding? You could have at least invited me to rub my nose in it, you know…"

"I didn't invite you because I didn't want you there. I… I'm sorry." He walked back into the apartment to see if Ianto needed a hand in the kitchen.

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When Jack and Ianto got up early the next morning, John was already gone.