Doomsday: Post Apocalypse
a Torchwood story
by RoadrunnerGER
Dislaimer: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.
Summary: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto
Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness
Chapter 40 – Goodbyes – part I
"I'm really trying not to take it personally," Jack grumbled as they entered the tunnels from the underground garage.
"Jack, really," Suzie returned with disgust. "We're talking about weevils."
"Not my fault none showed up, though," Jack huffed. "I'm irresistible!"
"For everyone but Ianto…" Suzie muttered not as inaudibly as she probably thought. She did not notice it, but Jack pulled an indignant face at her remark.
"As we registered an actual rift spike, it's possible that a new one came through," Toshiko tried to redirect their conversation to the original subject. "Maybe one of the locals guided it down into the sewers?"
"That would explain why we got more than one weevil signature," Jack mused aloud. "Though I doubt that the locals picked the new one up. It's more likely that it followed its instinct to mate."
"Which brings us back to you?" Suzie groaned.
"Ewww!" Jack whinged. "They're barely sentient."
"So?"
"So, I don't go there with someone who's not able to consent!"
"I so don't want to further explore the implications…" Suzie drawled and sped up her steps to get ahead.
"At least they don't practise post-coital cannibalism, but I think the foreplay could get a little rough, even for me," Jack rambled. "And the way they smell... Ugh! I mean, I do like to cuddle afterward, but I just don't think I could do it, and it would be rude to just get up and walk away."
"Jack!" Suzie barked and turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Are you seriously considering the implications of Weevil-sex?"
"Considering? Yes," Jack said with a winning grin. "Seriously? No. What can I say? I'm a guy. I like sex. I like thinking about sex. A lot."
"You're impossible."
"Been called worse…" he muttered at her retreating back.
They entered the Hub through the armoury. By the time that Jack passed the doors, Suzie had already reached her workbench. He let her go, hoping that she would cool her temper with working on some alien tech. Ever since he had taken her off the glove research, she was in a really bad mood.
Together with Toshiko, he went up to the rail level where they found Owen and Ianto lounging on the couch.
"Have you been successful, sir?" Ianto asked politely.
"Not a sign of the weevils," Jack shrugged. "When we got there they were already gone."
"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"
"For now…" the captain mused, dreading that they might come back up, causing more trouble than they might have done the first time.
"You wanted to talk with me?" Ianto queried.
"Right," Jack agreed.
The captain showed less enthusiasm than Ianto had expected. Jack seemed tired, but he could not determine what the reason might be.
Jack harboured similar thoughts about his new archivist that were even fuelled when Ianto got up, casting a long look at Owen before he started for Jack's office. There was more going on between them than met the eye, and Jack found it difficult to dismiss the thought. He could not shake the feeling that a change lay ahead and he just knew that he would not like it one bit.
With a sigh, he followed Ianto inside and closed the door for some privacy. He went around his desk and sat down in his executive chair. Sitting right across from Ianto like that made him feel like the boss that he was, which was not a usual sentiment for him.
"All right, here we are," Ianto stated. "What's the subject?"
"Well," Jack muttered, weirdly feeling like being caught on the wrong foot, "we need to talk about some things you said while we were still at Torchwood One."
"Like…?"
"Like who gave the predators to Torchwood," Jack addressed the first subject he could think of. Of course, he had mentally prepared a list of what he still needed from Ianto, but all of a sudden the information seemed hard to grasp.
"Another institute," Ianto told him. "I don't know which one, though. All I heard about them came from the grapevine."
Thoughtfully, Jack fingered the manila folder of a file on his desk. The report it contained had him worried.
"Something about them is bothering you," Ianto said and it was not a question.
"Yeah. Giant black predators that break through security doors as easily as opening a can of sardines, are bothering me."
"They're dead now, right?"
Jack sighed. "Yes, but who's to say that there aren't more where those five came from?"
Ianto could not deny the truth of that assumption.
"I'll figure it out," Jack mused aloud before he moved on to the next subject, "What about those addresses? You said you knew where One kept further archives?"
At that, Ianto scowled.
"Do you ever read the correspondence that crosses your desk?" he asked back with a hint of amusement.
"Of course!" Jack declared indignantly. "Why?"
"Because I already compiled a list and put it on your desk."
"Alright…"
Surprised, Jack leafed through the papers to his left and right until he found the mentioned list.
"Ooops." Sheepishly, he smiled at Ianto. "I'd be lost without you."
"Don't exaggerate, sir," Ianto lightly teased. "I'm sure you won't have any problems checking the warehouses out without me."
Hearing that, Jack's face fell.
"Awwww, I was hoping we would go and explore them together."
Jack's disappointment was palpable. Feeling the sudden desire to lighten his mood, Ianto playfully replied, "Don't tell me you have a warehouse fetish as well."
Puzzled, Jack cocked his head to the side, querying, "As well?"
"I love offices, you said," Ianto chuckled at the memory and at how peculiar the idea seemed. "You said, they're exotic."
"Oh, yeah! One of the most exotic places I know!" Jack enthused, only to realize that he did not recall he had mentioned it to Ianto. "When did I say that?"
"When we searched files down in the secure archives," Ianto smirked. "How comes that offices are so exciting for you?"
"Well, loving that officey feel. I always get excited in these places…" Seeing Ianto's clear irritation, he went on, "You know, office romances, photocopying your butt… those places are bursting with unreleased sexual tension!"
"You could never have worked at One," Ianto chuckled lowly, "You'd never have gotten anything done."
"Probably not," Jack shrugged, but then a mischievous grin cracked his features as he imagined the possibilities. At the same time he relished the fact that Ianto seemed comfortable enough to banter with him. After the traumatic emotional and mental experiences they had gone through, that was no matter of course.
"You are not going to coax me into staying with Three," Ianto shattered his hopes.
"You made your decision?" Jack anxiously asked.
"You knew I wouldn't stay."
The statement made Jack's heart ache. His throat tightened, keeping him from answering.
"I won't leave today. Or tomorrow," Ianto said. "Though, I'd like to leave this afternoon for London. The funeral will be tomorrow."
"Okay," Jack all but croaked.
"Don't have a coronary," Ianto calmly told him, reaching into one of his jacket pockets to find a card that he held out for Jack. "It'll be a rather private ceremony at eleven o'clock, here at this small cemetery outside of London."
With trepidation, Jack read the address on the simple remembrance card that Ianto had given him. Attending the funeral was one more step toward closure for Ianto, and one step closer to losing the young archivist for Jack. His decision was long made, though, and he would not back down now.
"I'll be there," he tersely said. "Will you stay at your flat?"
"Yes."
"I could pick you up there tomorrow morning," Jack suggested. "Would that be okay?"
This time, Ianto hesitated for a moment before he nodded. "I don't want to drive myself."
"Half past nine, I'd say then."
"Okay."
For a long moment, they just sat in silence, both men deep in thought. Of course, Jack knew that he could not postpone the inevitable forever.
"Well, as long as you don't hide any more secrets, that's all for now," he finally said.
"Nothing Torchwood related," Ianto replied lightly, eliciting a smirk from the captain. "I'll go back to the archives then."
"Alright, do that."
Smoothly, Ianto got up from his seat. On his way to the door, he paused.
"Anything wrong?" Jack demanded when he saw him stand there.
Ianto shook his head as he turned back to Jack. "No. I was just wondering… aren't you playing our game anymore?"
Taking a deep breath, Jack tried to judge where Ianto intended to go with this, before he answered carefully, "I figured that it was not appreciated anymore. My invitation stands, though. You decide."
Slowly, Ianto nodded.
"I see. It's just… you know, it would have been such a waste of energy for you to go to such lengths only to give up a yard before you reached the goal."
An almost vicious grin cracked Jack's features. Expectantly he leaned forward in his chair, his hands on the tabletop, as he asked challengingly, "What are my odds anyway?"
"Ohhhh, I'd say about ninety-nine percent in favour, sir," Ianto told him without missing a beat.
"Really?" Jack asked, surprised by how fast his heart was beating at the prospect. As far as he could remember back, only one man had been so much work before… and he was equally worth it. "Does that mean you'd go out with me?"
"Well," Ianto muttered, tongue in cheek, "I don't know. You haven't asked me yet."
"Oh, I guess I haven't, have I?" Jack could not believe it: he was feeling himself blush. "Maybe that's because I'm afraid of rejection."
"Oh, I doubt it, sir," Ianto responded. "From what I've heard, that would be an alien experience for you."
"No, Ianto, I learned long ago that cross-species experimentation can be hazardous to your health," Jack told him with an expression that Ianto could not decipher. "You wouldn't believe how many things out there indulge in post coital cannibalism."
Rather than admitting that he just could not tell when Jack was serious and when he was jesting, Ianto decided to play along, "Really, sir? I've known all along that you were quite - shall we say liberated? - but I never pegged you for the kinky type."
"Relax, Ianto," Jack said. "When I said you looked good enough to eat, I didn't mean it literally."
"Thank god," Ianto sighed. "You'd need a hearty appetite."
"Don't try me," Jack teased with a wink. Both men chuckled at his joke, but then an awkward silence spread between them. It took a while for Jack to gather his courage to softly ask, "So… will you go out with me? For dinner?"
The whole game that they were playing should have been a warning for Ianto, but he still could not anticipate what would follow his soft, "Yes."
Jack's face lit up like the flood lights at Millennium Stadium. Just for a second, he seemed to freeze with astonishment before he suddenly thumped his fists on the tabletop, shouting "Yes!" at the top of his lungs. He shot up from his executive chair that rolled back and into the wall. Jack whirled around his own axis, yelling "Yes!" over and over again. All Ianto could do was watch in shock.
"Everything okay?" Owen's voice startled him out of his rigour.
Looking back over his shoulder, Ianto saw the medic peeking in through the half opened door.
"We're fine," Ianto said. "He's just excited."
"I thought that's his default setting…" Owen muttered, watching their captain with suspicion.
Jack stilled, standing straight in a winner's pose and beaming at the younger men. Owen quickly noticed that Jack only had eyes for Ianto.
"I'm outta here," he muttered when Jack did not care to elaborate and did a tactical retreat.
Ianto stared at Jack and could only wonder at his exuberant joy.
"What can I say?" Jack shrugged apologetically. "I was waiting two weeks to hear that answer." Still beaming at Ianto, he softly added, "Hoping…"
"Now that I did agree, I'm not so sure anymore," Ianto retorted with a low chuckle.
"I just got good news!" Jack defended himself. "Can't I express my happiness?"
"If that's how you express your joy about good news…" Ianto trailed off, unable to put the implications shooting through his head into words.
"You should know me by now," Jack chuckled. "My bark's worse than my bite." Seeing Ianto sceptically cock his head to the side, he gently asked. "Would Saturday be all right?"
"Saturday would be fine."
"All right," Jack smiled happily. "Saturday. I'll make the reservations. What would you like to have? Italian? Chinese? Indian…?"
"You decide," Ianto gently interrupted. "I'll be happy with whatever you choose."
At that, Jack looked crestfallen.
"What's wrong?" Ianto lightly prodded.
"I… want it to be perfect."
Laughing softly, Ianto replied, "Let's meet, eat, and get back home uninterrupted by the Rift and it'll be perfect." Jack's sceptical expression made him laugh out loud. "Just be yourself," he reassured him and headed for the door.
Jack could not find it in him to answer. All he knew was that he would really, really hate to see Ianto leave.
xXx
"I'll be buggered!" Owen exclaimed when he happened to overhear Ianto telling Toshiko the latest news. "You're really going out for dinner with the captain?"
"Yes."
Hearing his simple reply, the medic gaped at Ianto, "Are you out of your bloody mind?"
"Jealous because you've never mustered the courage to try it?" Ianto shot back with a challenging smirk.
Wrinkling his nose, Owen grunted, "I'll never be that desperate."
"Yeah, well, in case of emergency you still have two hands…" Ianto's view roamed along Owen's frame, "well, that's one right now…"
"Careful, teaboy!" Owen enjoined, threateningly lifting his good hand.
"What? No come back to offer?" Ianto chuckled. "Did I outsmart you?"
"You wish," Owen hissed, giving Ianto a smoldering look. "I warned you that the captain knows no shame. Don't come running and complaining later that you can't show your face in Cardiff anymore. Tosh, you're my witness. I warned him."
"Yes, you did," she laconically replied, unimpressed.
"I can't believe it," the medic muttered to himself as he strolled off toward the med bay, "After all the stories we've told him… Poor bugger. I'd love to be a fly on the wall at that restaurant…"
Ianto could not help but laugh at his friend's antics. Beyond the good-natured teasing he could sense genuine concern, which warmed his heart. With a sigh, he leaned against the edge of Toshiko's workstation and watched Owen vanish down the stairs.
"You're looking good," Toshiko murmured.
"I'm feeling better."
"So you've made your decision."
Ianto nodded. "I'm about to make the necessary arrangements."
"When will you leave us?" Toshiko prodded, a hint of grief audible in her soft voice.
"Soon."
For a moment, neither felt compelled to go on.
"You shouldn't encourage Jack," Toshiko finally broke the silence. "I have a feeling that losing you is going to hit him hard."
"Actually, that's why I accepted his invitation," Ianto told her. "To show him that there's no bad blood between us… and to do him a favour before I go." Her sober expression woke first doubts. "You think Owen's right? Did I make a mistake accepting Jack's invitation for dinner?"
"No and yes," Toshiko mused with a lopsided shrug. "I think he's concerned for the wrong reasons. You already showed us that you can handle Jack. Still I think that that dinner has the potential to become disastrous."
"In what way?" Ianto queried, unease clenching his insides.
"It's just a feeling, you know?" she softly went on, "You said you and Jack, you're on good terms now. Why not leave it at that? Why risk it by dating him?"
"I didn't think I was taking any risk." Slowly, confusion joined his unease. "In fact, I was thinking of it more as a farewell dinner."
"I just don't want you to leave with unresolved conflicts ," Toshiko tried to explain. "I hope that you'll remember us kindly."
"I will," Ianto quickly reassured her. "I really like you, Tosh. I just can't stay with Torchwood."
"So we'll see you again?" Toshiko hopefully asked.
"I'll be in touch," Ianto promised. "Then we'll see."
"Okay."
Ianto thought that she did not appear very assured, but it was all he could offer right now.
"I'll go and do some more sorting," he declared and returned down to the vaults.
xXx
From his office, Jack watched the exchange through the circular windows. A part of him rejoiced at seeing Owen and Ianto banter, but another part of him was already grieving. He had hoped that the friendships that Ianto formed with Toshiko and the medic would compel him to stay, but now he could not deny anymore that he was wrong. Ianto was going to leave soon.
I would lose him anyway, Jack told himself flatly. It's just as well that he's leaving now before I get really attached.
His heartache quickly turned into anger.
He asked me who I was stringing along… rather looks like he's the one giving me the runaround.
Jack had to admit that it hurt. More than it should do.
I'll challenge him a bit! Let's see about making the most of our encounter.
Jack's imagination created lustful scenes that made his skin tingle with expectation. While his view still lingered on the archivist, his mind's eye was set on a wide hotel bed and all the erotic possibilities.
Then seeing a turn of Ianto's head and the miniscule change of his expression catapulted him back to reality.
You're such an idiot, Jack Harkness, thinking about exploiting his attempt at making concessions! Being nice to me, accepting my invitation, can't be easy for him. Tomorrow's the funeral of his fiancé, for God's sake! That he'll date me only a day later doesn't mean he intends to fall into bed with me!
Right then, Jack carefully avoided being honest to himself. Accepting the true reason for his bitterness would have hurt even more than mourning a missed chance. Truth was that he did not lust for the young Welshman as much as he desired his company, his wit, and his understanding. Jack had fallen fast and hard and only denying that truth to himself kept him reasonably sane in the face of Ianto's departure.
When he saw Ianto go into the tunnel down to the archives, Jack took a deep breath in order to brace himself. Before he could stride out into the central Hub to gather his team around him, he was distracted by movement beside his desk.
"Hello, Yvonne," he cheered with true joy at seeing his calico cat. "Where have you been?"
During the last days, he had not spotted her and wondered why she stayed away. As she had eaten her food, he had not worried too much about his independent pet, but he was still astonished that he did not even catch a glimpse at her for days.
As she smoothed around his legs, rubbing her head against his shin, he bent down to try and pet her, but she wound out of his reach.
"What's up, sweetie?" he queried. "Is something bothering you?"
With an accusing meow, she prowled around him, avoiding his outstretched hand.
"Do you feel neglected? I didn't have much time for you recently, did I?"
Meowing again, she came a bit closer and lightly bumped her head against Jack's open palm. When he reached out to pet her this time, she let him. Suddenly, Yvonne hissed and backed off, arching her back.
Looking around at what alerted his cat, Jack saw Suzie step into his office. With an angry hiss, Yvonne darted toward the door, paused just two steps away as if she thought about which way to choose, and shot past his technician. Like a flash, she was gone.
"Weird cat," Suzie remarked as she put two manila folders on Jack's desk. Without acknowledging the captain's presence, she left again.
Weird Suzie, Jack thought as he watched her go. Guess she's still angry with me for terminating her research.
Thinking of the glove, he recalled how Yvonne had reacted to Suzie activating the artefact, and all of a sudden the cat's animosity made a lot more sense.
"She must be very irritated if she's not just avoiding Suzie but the populated Hub altogether," Jack mused aloud.
Like nothing else before, Yvonne's reaction confirmed his decision against Suzie's research. Using the glove was wrong. Period.
I should keep an eye on her. Suzie can be bloody stubborn after all.
Bracing himself, he put on a brave face and strode out of his office to gather his team around him.
tbc…