As Ianto walked into the inn a flying form threw itself at him, wrapping arms around his neck and kissing him. Before he had time to react the figure was pulled from him angrily, and he saw Jamey bounce down the wall of the lobby, his Dad standing over him, fists clenched, looking between Jamey and Ianto, trying to decide who to yell at first. To Ianto's surprise Owen ran in from behind
"Right mate, that's enough!"
The man looked at Ianto "You corrupted my son! Turned him into a bloody poofter!"
"I said that's ENOUGH!" yelled Owen, dragging the man away. Seeing the gun in Owen's hand Griffith allowed himself to be taken, he shook his fists, "You bastards!"
Ianto crouched down to talk to Jamey, "You alright Jamey?" Jamey covered his face with his hands,
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry – you'll hate me, I'm sorry, I was just glad you're OK"
"I don't hate you Jamey, just a little surprised – thought it was Jack you fancied, but I actually meant are you physically hurt?"
"It's nothing, I'm used to it."
Ianto shared a glance with Jack, shocked by the resigned tone in his voice.
Ianto touched him gently on the arm, "We'll help you Jamey, you need to be safe."
"I'm not going into care! You are the only ones who know – you mustn't tell anyone, people like me in care – everyone knows what happens!"
"How about we just put the fear of god into your Dad then?" said Jack
"You can do that?"
Jack grinned at Jamey, "Oh yeah. He won't dare touch you after we've spoken to him, now how about you go make us some coffee?"
"You won't hurt him will you? I do love him – he's all I've got.."
"Leave it to us Jamey. It'll be OK." Ianto smiled reassuringly, helping the boy to his feet, and watching him head off to the kitchen. He turned to Jack, " How are we supposed to put a stop to this without actually hurting that stupid bastard?"
"I've an idea about that. They need a good chef here right?"
Ianto nodded, comprehending, " all we have to do is persuade Griffith to take on someone we approve of. Then they can keep an eye on Jamey for us." He said.
Jack nodded " Plus I reckon Owen has done a good job already of putting the fear of god into him."
"Yeah, I thought Owen was asleep? Jamey said he'd drugged his coffee?"
"Really? Owen taken in by a fifteen year old? Really Ianto?"
Ianto shrugged his shoulders, "Always a first time."
"You wish teaboy."
Ianto turned to see Owen leaning against the lounge door frame and grinning.
"Nah as it happens I was onto your game from the moment I saw you smile at him. Listened in from the bog. Climbed out the landing window when you left, shot the bird as it flew in."
"And I thought I was being devious, thanks Owen. "
"Hey it was my shot that got the bird!" grumbled Jack
"Was not!"
"Was too"
"So was not!"
"Oy what's all the noise about?" Gwen stepped into the lobby.
"Just life returning to normal Gwen," Ianto walked past them up the stairs. He needed to change.
Jack wondered if Ianto would come to him that night, he had been cool over dinner, all business and efficiency, uncomfortable with his colleagues, and avoiding Jack. To his surprise Ianto had come and found him about midnight and led him upstairs, just asking Jack to hold him, "I feel like a part of me is missing, I know the Blue was murderous, but it filled something that I never knew was missing, and I need reminding who I am" after a while Ianto had started to kiss Jack, reassuring him that he wanted to make love, after they lay peacefully staring up at the ceiling in Jacks bed. Holding Jack's hand, breathing returning to normal, slightly high on endorphins Ianto pondered the events of the last few days.
"Would you have shot me Jack?"
Jack turned on his side and stared at Ianto. He watched him for a moment, gauging the impact of his answer. "Yes. I honestly thought it would save more lives."
"Good."
"Good? Wow. Isn't that taking selflessness to a new level?"
"Not really, I don't want to die. Want to be with you for as long as possible, but I don't want to live at any cost, if I get taken over again, or I end up on life support promise me you'll do the same again."
Jack stared at Ianto, until he turned his head to Jack and made eye contact.
"Promise me Jack."
Jack leant forward and kissed him softly, "I promise" he whispered, and held him close, "I promise to do what needs to be done, so that you can always be Ianto Jones."
Two days later and the team were back at the hub, in the boardroom. Tosh was the first to feedback on her side of the clean up operation.
"Using a programme that feeds off the Royal Geographical Society's expedition database, cross referenced to the taxonomy databases of the Natural History Museum London and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington I faked the discovery of several of the Alien species.."
"Yeah yeah, genius, Tosh, just tell us what you did with them" grunted Owen.
"I placed all the most earth like creatures at Bristol Zoo, faked as new discoveries from the Amazon. Unfortunately three were just too weird or too much of a threat and Ianto euthanased them."
"And I am in the process of dissecting them. Okay now the interesting bit. Jack's tooth." Began Owen. "It was mostly decayed, not natural decay, the components had been designed to decay rapidly when light hit them. However Tosh was able"
"To analyse them before they disintegrated completely" Tosh interrupted dexterously "They were designed to control the function of the Chronon elements, ensuring only one came into play at any one time. They also ensured that the spinal switch activated."
"I worked out that Jack's body took a while to identify the alien components in the tooth, before it rejected it. Hopefully you shouldn't have any more episodes of torture. Well, none from this particular source any way." Finished Owen. Tosh smiled happily at him, he smirked and picked up his coffee cup. It had been a brilliant piece of work, though he said so himself.
Jack grinned "So Ianto and I can be as frisky as we want now?"
"Frisky? Said Gwen "Who on this earth uses the term frisky Jack?"
"Owen complained about me being too graphic recently so I was trying for some more acceptable euphemisms"
Gwen shook her head, "Well back to the case and Stephen Marks. I have access to his home and his work records. He had apparently picked up more about Torchwood One than he should have, and was working for a conspiracy theory website on the side. He had spotted Jen Grimes smuggling creatures out of Torchwood before the Canary Wharf battle, but after that lost track until he returned to the Forest of Dean. I believe he had got close to finding out about her, was shaken up by your arrival on the scene and moved in quickly that night in case you removed the evidence. Unfortunately he fell foul of the furie."
The team fell silent for a while, sipping coffee. "So who was the other guy? The one Ianto shot?" asked Jack
Ianto cleared his throat. "He was Jen's partner Andrew, the Blue carried remnants of his memories. He adored her, that's why he didn't put her body out for the fury to feed, but by the time it got to Stephen, I don't think he could distinguish himself from the Blue, so he killed him. It was very persuasive. It didn't dominate, it insinuated itself into your thoughts, your emotions until it seemed like it had always been there." He looked down at his hands "It gave you a purpose, a reason for existing."
"But you were able to resist it?" Said Gwen
"Up to a point. I already have a very good reason to exist." He looked up and smiled at Jack.
Gwen saw that look. She doubted that Jack really understood how Ianto felt about him. She had tried to talk to Ianto, before they left the Forest of Dean.
She had caught up with him just after breakfast that morning
"Ianto pet, can I have a word?"
"Sure Gwen, what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to talk about you and Jack."
"What about me and Jack?"
"I'm worried that you're going to get hurt again, the way you look at him, your reaction when I told you off, I don't think you realise what Jack's like."
Ianto looked at her and sighed. Gwen was in one of her terrier moods.
"No use asking you to leave this alone by any chance?"
"Ianto I'm worried about you, I care about you, you're only young."
"Not that much younger than you Gwen, and forgive my saying so but I have a whole lot more experience of loving and losing than you."
"That's why I don't want you to be hurt again, you deserve more than that."
Ianto looked coolly at her. Was this about Gwen caring for him or about her feelings for Jack? Was this her way of trying to get him to back off?
"Gwen, has it occurred to you that I already know the risks of being with Jack? He has deserted me once, has tried to shoot me at least twice. I may be young, but I'm old enough to make my own decisions. How old were you when you decided to join the police? To move in with Rhys? To shag Owen? What gives you the right to say that my decisions are better or worse than yours?"
"I'm only trying to protect you."
"I work for Torchwood Gwen, that ship sailed a long time ago" he turned, hoisted his suit carrier and walked out of the room.
Gwen sighed and bought her attention back to the boardroom. Jack was talking about Jamey.
"Jamey Griffith is being emotionally and physically abused by his Father. Owen has done a good job of scaring the man, but if we're not there to keep an eye he may start again. We need to get an eye in the premises. Griffith is looking for a new chef, so keep an eye out please, we need to get someone there as soon as possible."
"I may know someone," said Gwen, "The chef at our local wants a new job, he loves the countryside and wants to work at a country hotel. Added bonus, he's gay, but you wouldn't know it."
"Your gaydar being so fine tuned," remarked Owen,
"No really, me and Rhys only found out when we overheard him talking to his boyfriend on the bar phone. Its not obvious at all."
"Actually, she's right." Four pairs of eyes swivelled to Jack, "took me at least ten minutes to find out." The team groaned,
"When did you? …. Oh never mind." Ianto just shook his head. "I really don't want to know."
Jack grinned "A good while ago. I promise. OK Gwen, set up an interview, get him there as soon as possible, in the meantime lets get an early night, its been a busy few days, then tomorrow we need to get our town back from UNIT."
"Right who's for the pub then?" asked Owen "Tosh? Gwen?"
Tosh nodded, Gwen muttered something about Rhys, but then waited for the others by the Cog door. Ianto walked up laughing with Tosh, Jack and Owen argued about who was going to drive, good friends going on a night out.
Suddenly screaming filled the air, Myfanwy was restless, sensing her Ianto was back, the rift alarm providing an atonal counterpoint. There is no downtime at Torchwood.
Well there it is, done and dusted. Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it took so long to finish, hope all the loose ends are tied up! Thankyou to all reviewers and people who put this on alert/favourites.