Time Intertwined
A/N: From here on is the added chapters.
Chapter 5
10am in the Hub and the whole team were in, doing their usual everyday jobs that kept them occupied when they weren't out retrieving wayward aliens, the caffeine still coursing through their veins from the morning dose of 'Ianto brew'. After handing out their brew of choice to his fellow colleagues, and a promise to Jack that tonight is the best time for the activity that Jack suggested when Ianto brought in his industrial strength coffee, Ianto headed down to the archives cataloguing the latest rift refuse.
Gwen was at her computer attempting to find a pattern in the weevil sightings in the heart of Cardiff while interestingly Owen appeared to be completely engrossed with cutting up a corpse of the latest victim that met with a shape shifting alien that came through the rift the other day, but his eyes kept drifting up at Tosh as she was calibrating a new computer system she set up. Jack had noticed that Owen was getting more 'polite' around Tosh, holding back his sarcasm when around her, oh well we all grow up, hey even himself, he thought, what with not wanting to sleep around and be exclusive with Ianto, he supposed with all the weirdness and abnormal nature of their lives associated with Torchwood, it was nice to have some normality, even if it is in the form of new love between colleagues, well he couldn't exactly discourage it, that would be hypocritical of him.
Jack was reading and signing yet another report thinking when next he would see his Ianto in the flesh and not just on the CCTV that he was trying not to stare at, when Tosh called out, "Rift in Bute Park"
"Ianto, Gwen you're with me, Owen finish off that corpse, Tosh monitor and update us" Jack spoke into the comms, informing his team what he expected from them.
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Marcus and his new 'friend' stood in Bute Park, "Okay now we wait"
"Sorry, explain it to me again, how does this help me?" Marcus said.
Marcus's 'friend' sighs and says exhaustedly, "The Torchwood team come out to find out what the rift has delivered, we gain entry into their vehicle via their boot, they won't be putting anything big in their boot as I've left something small for them to collect, we get into the base through their private car park and when everyone goes home, I'll help you to work the rift manipulator so you can get back to the time you need"
"And what do you get out of this?" Marcus asked.
"I need to speak to the Torchwood leader, I have something important to tell him" the dark haired man said.
"Why don't you just tell him when you see him here?" Marcus asked some part of him thinking his 'friend' is not telling the whole truth, but not really caring as all he wanted was to gain entry into the underground base while no one was there. This way he could have more time to work out how to operate the 'time shifter' without having to hurt anyone.
"Well last time we talked we had a fight so if I accost him out in the park he will just walk off, I want to explain myself, I upset him and I want to apologise" Marcus's friend said sadly, "and it's best I talk to him after the others have left"and thinking he didn't want the others interfering and getting in his way and thwarting his plan.
Marcus felt that his 'friend' sounded so sincere and knew the heartache of having to repair unresolved issues and so he thought that they would both gain something with this subterfuge, "Okay sure" Marcus reassured him.
The dark haired man smiled, thinking 'this time Jack, I get you back', turning to Marcus, "Right, here they come, stay quiet"
XxxxxxxxX
"Anything?" Jack asked again.
"The rift spike was only small, there is some residue left, but it is so small it's hard to locate" Ianto said shaking his head, frustrated that what he was reading on the handheld remote rift locator was not showing much, "Tosh can you shed any more light?"
"Sorry Ianto, I'm getting pretty much the same reading as you, very minor" Tosh said apologetically.
"Something must have been left behind, not leaving here till we find it, look for something small, the smallest thing are usually the most dangerous, okay fan out" Jack said to Ianto and Gwen.
After 15 minutes more of searching Gwen finally found what Jack verified as alien, a small tool used by the alien race.
"So what is it Jack?" Gwen asked Jack as he didn't offer any more explanation of what it was.
"Okay bag it" Jack said rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
"But what is it Jack?" Gwen repeated, curiousily thinking it could be dangerous after what Jack said that the smallest things can be dangerous.
"Nothing important" Jack said pursing his lips.
Ianto didn't say anything, knowing when not to pursue a subject with Jack.
"But is it dangerous?" Gwen said, she was never one to let things go.
"A can opener, a freakin' can opener!" Jack said sheepishly.
Ianto and Gwen laughed uproariously as they scrambled back in the SUV while Jack stowed away the alien can opener into his pocket of his great coat ignoring the sniggers of his two colleagues, "Okay back to the Hub, maybe pick up a pizza on the way back? Ianto ring through an order"
"You sure? I've got some cans of baked beans back at the Hub, now that we've got something to open it with" Ianto said holding together a giggle.
Jack looked at him with disdain.
The rest of the trip passed with a few sniggers from Gwen, Ianto ordering pizza and silence from Jack, all three unknowing that they were carrying other passengers.
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Tucking into their pizzas Tosh asked for the alien device found at Bute Park.
'I gave it to Ianto for archiving, no need to examine it, I was able to identify it" Jack explained stony faced.
"Yeah but…." Tosh stopped when she caught sight of Ianto shaking his very slightly and desperately telling her with his eyes to drop it.
Jack finally seeing the hilarity of the situation said, "I'll have you know that sometimes the smallest tool can be the most dangerous and sometimes fun" the last part of the sentence aimed at Ianto.
Ianto smirked as he caught Jack's drift, then looked away as he felt his face flush, "I'll clean up now then sir" Ianto said politely, knowing that Jack would rush the others out in anticipation.
"Well kids, it's late, if the rift is going to be quiet you can all go home" Jack turned towards Tosh, "Tosh?"
"Yes Jack, the rift is predicted to be quiet for at least ten hours" Tosh answered.
"Right then off you go, go and have dinner with loved ones, watch a movie, whatever" Jack said cheerfully.
XxxxxxxxX
Marcus and the brown haired man extracted themselves from the SUV and quietly made their way into the Hub undetected by the Torchwood team, mainly because this was not anticipated and Marcus's friend was able to override the alarm.
XxxxxxxxX
"Oh Ianto I think I'm due for an apology" Jack said smirking, seeking out Ianto who was still cleaning up after the others had left.
"And why would that be sir" Ianto dead panned.
Coming up behind Ianto, Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto's slender waist, kissing his neck, "Hmmm, you know what, and I think a spanking is in order"
"Well in that case, I have been a very naughty boy" Ianto said trying to sound contrite while trying to suppress a chuckle.
"Right then, off to my room, take off your clothes and wait for me" Jack said sternly holding back the smirk. Ianto bounced off in the direction of Jack's underground room.
XxxxxxxxX
Marcus and his 'friend' made their way through the tunnel up into the Hub while Jack and Ianto were otherwise busy.
"So how are you going to make the time shifter work" Marcus asked his friend.
"What… yeah, okay" the stranger said indifferently.
"What can I do? I have some knowledge I used to be an engineer" Marcus said.
"Yeah whatever" the friend said uninterestedly, thinking that once Ianto was distracted with Marcus he would be able to put his plan into action.
"There it is" Marcus said, seeing the rift manipulator, "there must be a control panel somewhere"
XxxxxxxxxX
"Going to make a coffee" Ianto said stretching and rubbing his red bottom, "your usual?"
Seeing Ianto rub his arse and slip on a pair of boxers, 'Did I hurt you?" Jack asked concerned.
"Nah, not too much, just a slight sting, it's all good" Ianto said smiling and giving Jack a quick peck on the lips, "back in a moment. You hungry?"
"I'm always hungry, what do you have?" Jack smiled thinking that Ianto looked after him too well, in every aspect, he doesn't know how he got so lucky to have Ianto in his life, but he was just grateful that he had.
"I bought those biscuits that you like"
"Did I tell you that I love you" Jack said cheekily.
"Only when it is concerning food and sex" Ianto said smirking, feeling uncomfortable whenever the talk turned to love, he loved Jack but wanted to tell Jack when there wasn't sex or food involved, to have more meaning.
"Well I love you Ianto Jones" Jack whispered sincerely as Ianto climbed up the ladder out of the bunker, unheard by Ianto.
As Ianto walked through the Hub his thoughts were solely on Jack and how he made him feel very special and that he was in the best place in his life right now and how he was so happy and content. With these contented thoughts he didn't notice the two men in the Hub as he made his way down to the kitchenette.
Marcus looked at the rift manipulator as it hummed and blinked its numerous lights, this time he was able to really look at it; it was cylindrical in shape, almost rocket like. A faint blue light at its top seemed to pulsate encased in some round piping, below that were some thick circular flanges, some that had thick cables leading out of them, underneath those it flared out into a wider body, with a bright, almost too bright yellow light that hurt his eyes to stare at it for too long. There were some little blinking green lights circling around the main body then the same blue light that seemed to be connected to the blue light above as they pulsed together in unison and it appeared that they were rising and lowering as well in a rhythmic motion.
Marcus couldn't see any obvious panel that he could program dates in on the actual machine as he walked around most of it. He placed his hands on one of the wires, following it he saw that it was connected to a computer nearby, good, he thought, the computer would give him some control as the actual 'thing' didn't have anything that he could see that would allow him to enter any dates. Sitting down to the computer he tried a few applications that he hoped would do what he wanted. He was so intent on his task he was not aware of what was occurring not far from him, with his friend and the young man that he nearly killed not that long ago.
Reaching up into the cupboard Ianto felt two arms wrap around his waist murmured, "Mmmm decided to check that I'm bringing up the whole packet Jack?"
"Hmm the whole package is what I always like" the voice said behind Ianto. Ianto turned to face, not Jack but John Hart.
A/N: So tell me what you think so far?