Seven: The Old and the New

It was happening again.

Marius sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose and willed the images away. Of all the things to resurface, it would have to be those...dreams. It was bad enough that Jack just returned and he was dealing with the emotional upheaval of everyone there and now settled for trying hard to just categorize the three he normally didn't have in his head.

Gwen: Snarky and annoyed. The bastard left without a word, damn it, who is he to think he can just waltz back in and nothing will have changed?

Owen: Snarky and sarcastic. He was used to Jack being closed tighter then—Marius stopped at the analogy and decided to never try and look at how Owen classified things again.

Toshiko: Annoyed. She couldn't pull up enough anger to be annoyed because that sound had told her it was possibly that same strange man who had helped her with the alien-that-wasn't a few years ago when Downing Street had been destroyed and she had been in charge of the autopsy. So Jack had needed help from someone who knew aliens, so maybe it was to help them? Either way, a call would've been nice...

"I came back for you."

Marius didn't want to classify what that did for Ianto. Mixed feelings and emotions of being a part of the team, of being more then just the tea boy was great, but still there was that underlying tension of how much he hated to do those things. At the same time, the kiss that Jack has initiated, and in front of everyone, as if to say 'mine' and lay claim to him as more then just a part-time, hidden fuck lingered even after the months and those words made him want to shake Jack and kiss him at the same time...

"All of you."

And things like that made him wonder how much Jack actually liked him, how much of it wasn't just flirting but Jack flirted with everyone, with him it was...different. It was more—more...

Marius stopped at the images and decided that some Elder of the Sidra race that had gained omnipotence or something long ago decided picking on him was a fun thing to do and did it on a regular basis, mainly with dreams about Lilith, then about his two Hubs being in a relationship, then having everyone else he was connected do having some strange sex life that came up at the most inconvenient times, which was whenever he was trying to find something meaningful and beyond just sex in their heads.

Marius didn't bother with Jack, not wanting or needing to go into his mind about anything as the surface thoughts were at how proud and sexy Gwen looked while in command and how sexy and cool Ianto was now. Marius cut it off as much as he could when the idea of what those two would be like in bed with Jack started and he groaned.

"Someone hates me."

--

Avery blinked at Marius then shook her head. "I wouldn't know."

"Say that again."

"Marius..." Avery sighed. "I'd have to experiment on my own, but for now I can't help you. How long as this been going on, anyway?"

Marius looked over to the side. "Since...earlier."

"Define 'earlier'."

Marius looked down, then muttered something.

"What?"

"sinceItookthejob."

Avery sighed again. "Well, I'll see what I can find for that, though hopefully it won't be about my niece. You have some footage of Jack and Ianto, right?"

Marius blinked and his eyes narrowed. "Avery..."

"I need to experiment and figure out why your hormones are acting the way they are, and if it's just Jack and Ianto or if there's some weird force about them doing it! By the way, how are they?"

Marius paused then blinked. "Not good. Someone just appeared...someone from Jack's past. I have to go."

"You'll send me the footage, right?"

"Its just on CCTV in the Torchwood Hub, easy to access without their knowledge! I have to go, but thanks for the help Avery!"

Avery watched Marius disappear and sighed, pulling up a chair. "Hmmm...I guess I'll have to be a male to see about this." She looked down at her own body. "And I liked this one too. Well, guess I can keep it until the other one is used...now, what type of human male should I be?"

--

It was very odd at how easy it was to slip into Ianto's mind, even after the connection had been rearranged due to the Year that Never Was. He felt Ianto's worry, fear, betrayal, and wonder at the new arrival that named himself John Hart. Considering that Jack's name wasn't real, Ianto doubted this one was real either.

"In what way?" Marius came in, asking the question of how many ways Jack had been partnered with this...man.

"In every way," the man said with a smirk that told Ianto he knew what he felt for Jack, he knew and was...was...angry? Annoyed? Jealous?

All the things that Ianto was...here was Jack's old lover, and he was Jack's new lover. Old and the new, facing off, and not liking the other one bit.

But John had known the real Jack, or so he probably would claim, and Ianto had to confess that he probably even knew Jack's real name, which gave him that advantage.

So what did Ianto have, other then Jack now? He didn't know his past, only his present. He didn't know Jack like this man did and it hurt him.

But there was something else. The man seemed to lie whenever he suited him, covering it up as much as he could, but for someone who had once lied so often like Ianto had it was clear the dying lady's wish might not be about the radiation cluster bombs, if there was such a thing.

But could they chance it?
Marius slowly inched away and sighed. Being back in Ianto's mind was a welcome comfort, but it felt different too. He knew it was because of the connection severing and rearranging itself to the point where it had been last, but that hadn't change the fact that he knew how Ianto felt.

I'm not even rated as a new lover anyway.

Marius pushed the negative thought out of his head. Even if he wasn't rated or anything like that, he had still helped. Lilith was on her way to feeling better about herself and healing herself as well, possibly even returning to work and whatever ramifications there would be.

Of course, no thanks to him

Marius once more shook his head, clearing out his thoughts. Negative thoughts about the Doctor, at least in this instance, was not going to be productive. Finding out more about John Hart was, though, and he set out to do just that.

--

"It what?"

"You heard me clearly, Marius. It's done with. Finished," Sara sighed. "I liked it, too, for all the personalities, and sadly I'm not rated to be it's Curator...at least not yet."

Marius had to blink at that. "You're allowed to be a Curator for an agency?"

Sara looked down and blushed. "Like I said, not yet. I'm trying to say that since there are seven remaining Agents who have not been debriefed or killed, I should be able to stay on and watch over them. Which one did you want to know about?"

Marius pulled out a small picture he had gotten when John had entered the Hub. "He goes by John Hart, had a history with my client that used to be yours, and probably still somewhat is...Jack Harkness?"

Sara smiled as she heard the name. "I know. For a conman, he's quite the handsome gentleman, though I have a good number of people asking for jurisdiction over him." She shook her head. "The Bohems want him because he's their Face of Boe."

Something about the wording made Marius start, but he recovered quickly. "And John?"

"Just got out of Murder Rehab, and not cured. Neither was he fully cured for the Sex, Drugs, or Drink Rehabs he went to either. Just killed a person he had a fling with because they supposedly have an Arcadian gem."

This caused Marius to blink and go into Jack's back-door of the mind before whistling. "That's...worth a lot."

"Since the Last Time War and the Fall of Arcadia it's worth a ton," Sara pointed out, "Not to mention the fact that with the Time Agency gone your 'John' could make good bank and live like a king if he got it. Him and Jack."

Marius sighed. "I know. But that's only if Jack accepts, and he won't."

Sara looked over at him. "He's a conman. Of course he'll accept this."

Marius, looking at John's file, shook his head. "No. Not with how this one works, he won't. He's already decided to toss him out the minute it's done with and over, in favor of his team. John's going to try and hurt them for it, especially Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper."

Sara frowned before asking, "How do you figure that?"

Marius looked over and tapped his skull. "I have a connection with Jack, so I have a general idea of how John is. John's not happy with the two...he seems to do what he can to either flirt with or annoy them, but he flirts with Gwen and he annoys Ianto. Jack knows that he only flirts with Gwen because he's taken that role as second-in-command; he annoys Ianto because Ianto's taken his place as Jack's lover."

Sara blinked at that. "And the others?"

"They're partners but to a lesser degree, and Jack still trusts them more then he ever trusted John. For that, he hates them, and he hates them because Jack's on the planet and leading them. Meaning if he leaves they might follow, and John wants Jack all to himself."

Sara looked at him and then said, "So what do you want to do?"

Marius rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. "I can only observe for now, and I might as well. They can take care of themselves."

--

The problem with being so connected to an accidental Hub like Ianto Jones was that almost all of his emotions came through. Of course, annoyance was prominent at this point, though he was slightly happy that Jack had agreed to pair them together as opposed to Jack and John. Of course, there was tension as Jack found himself not in control but he seemed to get over it.

The car ride to the area was...odd. Neither said anything, not because Ianto didn't want Jack to say anything. But it would've been nice.

Marius pulled himself away as he felt Gwen's panic and then, a few minutes later (I need to talk to Sara about how John gets everywhere so quickly...), he felt Toshiko and Owen being attacked.

That meant Ianto and Jack were next.

Oh bloody hell.

--

"Are...you asking me out on a date?" say yes, please God be what he's talking about—like it could be anything else. Dinner and a movie...classic first date.

"Interested?"

I've been for a while. I shouldn't have been, it was just because you needed it and so did I and—and then... "Well...as long as it's not in an office..." just smooth, Ianto...the man asks you out, and you're trying hard to ignore him. Why?

Because of John, right? But he asked you out. He told you he has something about offices that make them interesting to him and you know all of the things in the office...so wouldn't he be then interested in you? "Some fetishes should be kept to yourself." I've had enough with offices but I'll gladly—no, work! This might be real. You have to consider that and the danger this poses to other people.

"Looks like we're going to have to go through every drawer, bin and plant-pot," Jack said with a laugh from away as Ianto continued the search for the item.

"Right okay...I'll do this floor, don't want you getting over-excited," Four months you were gone, and all that time there was no one but you. I want it to be the same but I feel so...odd...there are two of us now, aren't there? Me and him. Why--

"Jack," he said after saying that Jack should take the roof and as his lover started to head that way, "why are we helping him?"

Jack turned to face him, his eyes unmasked, that show he only gave Ianto when they were alone and it was serious, the guard down enough that Ianto knew he was sincere about this. "He's a reminder of my past. I want him gone."

Is your past so painful that you mustn't share it with any of us? All we know is you were mortal, and now immortal. All we know is the you now, but we'd like to know...to know what made you the person you are. Was it just the immortality? The you now...was it because of the Doctor?

"By the way, was that a yes?" "Yes." You didn't need to ask. I want him gone as well.

Your past and mine seem too dangerous to have around anyone.

Jack left after Ianto had muttered 'yes' again and returned to his search, looking through the drawers with practiced and efficient ease. No, nothing. One strange bracelet someone left...

Go back!

The voice startled him enough that he looked once more at the bracelet then returned to his search as the voice and feeling of someone else, something...familiar...in his head disappeared and he returned just as he heard the elevator doors opening.

Worried, knowing Jack would speak up about it, Ianto slowly removed his gun and crept forward, allowing his training to take over even as his mind began to panic.

Get over this.

You probably never will. Don't panic, don't worry. I'll protect you.

Who are you? He was closer to the elevator door, recognizing the voice now as the odd one from the incident at...

A Caretaker, but that's not important. I need you to remember where that bracelet was.

Ianto looked around, trying to see if anyone did come out of the elevator but seeing no one. Why?

It's not supposed to be there, but it's not dangerous. I'm going to go and see why it's there in the first place.

The Rift, Ianto paused, swallowing his fear as he did to look at the only elevator, the one that had to be opened.

That thing couldn't have come through the Rift. I need to go, though. Watch your back, Ianto Jones. I don't need you dying on me.

I don't need that either. The being gone, Ianto finally looked into the empty elevator and almost sighed with relief when he felt a gun barrel at the back of his head.

"Into the lift, Eye Candy."

--

Marius slowly looked around and sighed. Great. The office was luckily empty and the events involving John Hart had officially not really taken place...well, either way there had been avoiding the past selves for a short amount of time that mainly involved getting drinks and not mentioning what had happened, though all of them had felt John's look when he saw Jack walk up, alive and well after having fallen and broken his spine in half (which hurt) was worth it. Ianto's glee at having John realize he was about to blow up and in the first few seconds of counting down, as well as his surprise and minor glee of seeing Gwen hit John right before the bastard left helped to calm down that want to go over, pull John off of Jack and say 'mine'.

Marius decided he should probably get into the habit of a) not talking to Ianto like he did before, and b) not go into the minds of his two Hubs as often as he was. It was hard to tell where his mind ended at times and the other's began.

Marius paused before the desk and quickly closed all the links as much as he could. There was no point in leaving them open or having them like that for a quick snatch-and-go job, especially when he had see that through Ianto's eyes. What a Chronometric's watch was doing in this area was beyond him, especially when the Chrnometric Agent in question had been dead for a number of years, or at least lost and considered as dead as his last assignment.

Good riddances, Marius thought with a shudder. The thought of that Caretaker and Sidra always made him do so, because of what had happened and because of how it had effected the whole of the Sidra race.

Finding the right desk, Marius gave a small smile as he pulled out the item and gave it a quick look before he started to pocket it then heard the lift doors open. He felt himself straighten and freeze, like--

Don't think about them! Do this yourself!

With a deep breath, Marius felt himself go into a crouch, hiding behind a desk and waiting to see if whoever had used the lift would be coming out soon. Looking out from under one of the desk backs, he saw four pairs of legs coming into the room.

"He took the bait, where the hell is he?"

"You expect us to catch one like that so easily? Activate it."

Marius nearly cursed himself for his stupidity as he dropped the bracelet just as it let out a bright glow that nearly blinded him.

"There!"

All the more a fool, he chastised himself as he raced for the door, happy that none of the four had thought to cover it.

Of course, being as how they had disabled the elevators and locked the other doors anyway, he could see why that was so.

A grab and twist of his arm, as well as the sensation of being trapped within his body, washed over him as one of the men reached him, his other arm going around Marius' neck and lifting him up slightly. "You're not going anyway, Sidra."

Unable to call for help, caught with the strange man, Marius struggled and landed in an elbow to the stomach, allowing himself to be released as he backed over to the side door, taking up a stance that he hoped would help him fight off the group. The one he gut-punched was recovering and by far the largest, while the others were somewhat wiry but obviously knew how to detain a person. He paused in confusion as he saw their outfits.

Torchwood One?

The big man rushed him, causing Marius to try and push him through the doors before two others grabbed his arms, one getting butted in the head from Marius trying to fight them off before the tall one, glaring now, walked over and returned the punch from earlier.

Marius folded onto the man's hand, the breath pushed out of him as cuffs were placed around his wrists. "We got him. I hope that the boss doesn't mind us roughing him up."

One of the skinny men giggled. "With what Boss wants to do with this one, I doubt he'll need to worry long about a few bruises."

Marius coughed, trying to get air into his lungs as he was pulled into the elevator then pushed out again, a black bag going over his head as he was pushed into what felt like a car trunk, the door slamming on top of him and the car racing away from the scene.