Time Intertwined

Chapter 14

"Okay Jack" Martha said, "I spoke to The Doctor, he has agreed to help you but only this time because of what you went through on the Valiant"

"Great, thanks Martha" Jack said full of hope, "when is he coming to collect me?"

"He isn't" Martha said almost reluctantly, "he will get Ianto himself and return him"

"What? No, I need to have a few words to John" Jack said angrily.

"Jack" Martha said hesitatively, "that's why The Doctor says you're not going, it's your anger especially with people who have done injustices to you"

"What! I'm not that person any more" Jack said then when he realised he was yelling, lowered his voice, "look Martha I know I used to be an malicious person to be around when I was conning my way around the universe, but I've changed, Ianto has changed me for the better"

"And that is why The Doctor is helping you, he knows how much you love him" Martha said gently, "on the Valiant apparently it became known that was what got you through, getting to see Ianto again, apparently when you got the chance to talk to Tish you told her all about Ianto"

Oh" Jack said, trying not to remember his time on the Valiant.

"I'm sorry for bringing that up" Martha said sadly.

"No, that's okay, we who lived through that year will always be able to say whatever we want to each other" Jack said, his voice shaky when he said 'lived' knowing that it was an endless cycle of living and dying was for him, "tell The Doctor thanks"

"Sure"

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Sensually John kissed and licked up Ianto's chest, savouring his taste, smiling knowing he was going to enjoy making this man moan, knowing that he was Jack's property, if he couldn't have Jack then Jack's lover would do. Working his way up nibbling on Ianto's neck and along his jaw line, John slowing pressed his lips to Ianto's previously pouty lips, Ianto responded eagerly, kissing him back and moaning.

Then suddenly Ianto pulled away abruptly "NO, you are not Jack" and pushed John away from him with such ferocity that John fell to the floor with a thwack to his elbow and back, stunned, he lay on the floor. "I said to you before, I will NEVER let you fuck me" Ianto said his head becoming clearer with the realisation that John had undressed him and was kissing him in his hazy state of inebriation.

"Never?" John said, "I was getting close, give me time"

"You could have all the time in the world, and it would never be enough" Ianto said with a determination that was not going to be swayed.

"But I have all the time in the universe" John said shrewdly, as he gingerly pulled himself up onto his un-injured elbow. At that moment a whooshing noise was heard outside their open window John slowly moved his head towards the sound.

Attempting to sit up, Ianto's head spun in an alcohol induced haze, the noise seemed to envelope the room and looking towards the window he could see a bright light pulsating almost like a beacon. In the recesses of his memory he scrambled to remember where he heard this sound before. Some recording he heard filed away in the Archives, but what, he couldn't quite place. Warily he got off from the bed and went to the window where John was standing holding his elbow and staring out and looked at what wasn't there previously, a large blue old style police-box with a flashing light on top.

Abruptly the bedroom door slammed opened and in stepped a tall skinny man in a brown suit with a metal device with a red light circling its tip, held out in his hand as he walked in determinedly, "Ianto Jones?"

"Y…yes" Ianto stammered.

"Hi I'm the Doctor and I've come to take you home Ianto" the Doctor said with a slight smile on his face.

'The Doctor?...The Doctor!...The Doctor that he read about in the Archives….The Doctor that Jack spoke about…The Doctor who couldn't fix Jack' Ianto's mind raced.

John stood to the side not quite believing what was going on, who was this man storming into his bedroom, and why does he thinks he is just going to take Ianto! "Hold on there mate! Ianto is with me, he's not going anywhere"

"I'm not with you" Ianto said unwaveringly to John, and turning to the Doctor, "and I'm not going with you anywhere. Jack has spoken about you, you said he was wrong"

The Doctor sighed, "Ianto….Jack sent me to get you" staring straight at Ianto willing him to believe him.

"Oh crap" John said shaking his head and screwing up his face upon the realisation that Jack probably knows that he took Ianto.

The Doctor looked at John with distaste, "I would make myself scarce if I was you"

"And why would I do that?" John said with a sneer.

"Because I can make your time travelling days over" the Doctor said bringing up his sonic screw driver, "like I did Jack's"

"Yeah yeah, I get it" John said getting up off the floor, grabbing his coat he left without any more complaint.

"Come on Ianto, time to go" The Doctor said addressing Ianto again.

"And why would I do that?" Ianto said, "where's Jack? I'm not going anywhere with you without Jack"

The Doctor sighed, looking at Ianto sadly, "I'm sorry but the TARDIS does not like Jack, Jack sets her off course"

"The….the TARDIS, oh of course your time machine" Ianto said remembering all the things he read about the Doctor and his travelling machine.

"Jack is very upset and is missing you, he asked me to get you back" the Doctor said.

Ianto thought about his options, and quickly decided that yes, The Doctor was his best option, "O…Okay"

The Doctor smiled a genuine smile that you couldn't help feel that he could be trusted, "Come, come" he said as he motioned to leave the bedroom, Ianto smiled back tentatively. Ianto fell in behind the Doctor as he walked outside. The Doctor looked back to check that Ianto was indeed following him and noticed that Ianto was grimacing and swaying a bit as he held his head, "and I can give you something for your head, I see the alcohol here doesn't agree with you"

"You could say that" Ianto said.

Opening the door to the TARDIS the Doctor waved Ianto in, Ianto peered in cautiously. "In, in you go" The Doctor said hurriedly, "time's a-wasting"

Ianto turned to look at the man professing to be a manipulator of time as he made that statement and thought what a strange man but it was obvious that his TARDIS was the real thing, from what Ianto could see the inside was bigger on the inside, which went along the lines of the theory of the stories that abounded about The Doctor and his TARDIS. Ianto made a point not to say anything about it being bigger on the inside than out, as he was sure that The Doctor had heard it many times, as it was obvious, so he casually walked in and asked, "Do you have a shower in here so I can freshen up before I arrived back to my time?"

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In the boardroom Jack explained to his team that Ianto would be returned soon by The Doctor.

"Jack?" Gwen said incredulously, "so we what? We wait? Doesn't your Doctor have a time machine, wouldn't he just return Ianto a few minutes past the time from when John took him?"

"Yes Gwen" Jack said exhaustedly, "it doesn't always work that exactly"

"So when do you expect him?" Gwen continued.

Heaving a heavy sigh Jack breathed, "Soon"

"Gwen, why don't we go home, if Jack is confident that Ianto will be coming back, then I for one believe him" Tosh said.

"Come on ladies, I'll walk you down to the car-park" Owen said.

"You go home if you want" Gwen said walking closer to Jack, "I'll keep Jack company"

"NO, no Gwen" Jack said then softening his voice he said "it's fine, go home to Rhys, have some lasagne and wine and I'll see you in the morning"

Just as Gwen was about to protest further, a familiar noise to Jack grew louder down in the main part of the Hub. Jack's eyes lit up, he jumped up and was racing down the stairs to see the familiar blue shimmer of the TARDIS. Jack stopped on the second last step watching the shimmering glow as the TARDIS fully materialised.

The door opened and out stepped Ianto, Jack was on him like a hungry man with his first meal in days, enveloping him in his arms, after a few minutes Jack stepped back, looking intently at Ianto, blue meeting blue, a faint smile on his lips, the rush of relief washing over him as he captured Ianto's lips with his. Ianto poured his gratitude in his return of the kiss, being internally grateful that Jack had asked The Doctor to retrieve him from John, "Missed you, was so scared that I'd never see you again"

"Love you, even if I had to live a thousand lifetimes I was determined to get you back" Jack murmured.

As Jack held onto Ianto staring into his eyes the TARDIS door slammed shut and began to shimmer out, Jack paid it no heed, he had Ianto and that was all that was on his mind. Gwen and Owen stared as it disappeared before their eyes, Tosh rushed off to her computer desperately trying to get a reading, or at least check that the CCTV was on so she could examine the video later for analysis.

"Well that was nice of your doctor to bring Ianto back, but how rude, he didn't even get out" Gwen said in disgust tingled with curiously, she would have liked to see this time machine.

Jack shrugged his shoulders at Gwen, then turned back to Ianto, "Don't care, he did me a favour, and for that I am very grateful"

Ianto smiled, the smile hiding the pain of what he went through the past couple of days and murmured to Jack, "Thank you" and whilst yawning said, "Tell me how you got back"

"That story can wait, I think you need sleep" Jack said, then turning to the rest of the team, "bye everyone, I'm taking Ianto to bed"

"I'm going" Owen said quickly, "come on Tosh… Gwen!" Owen couldn't get out fast enough.

The End

A/N: There's one more chapter – just an epilogue to wrap things up.