A/N: OK, so here's the last Another Captain installment. Enjoy :)
Also, I apologize for not making breaks between the different character POV I'm having a few problems with that - for some reason fanfiction doesn't save it so I have to change the characters I use. I'll go through previous episodes tomorrow and put in the breaks. Didn't notice it until now.
Jack didn't leave the Hub for the entire night. It was never much pleasure being stuck in that empty building with nothing but the sound of computers working and the water sliding down the water fountain. He remembered how awful it had felt when Ianto died and after the short break of spending most of his nights in his company he had to return to being alone.
The Captain checked the monitors. There had been little, if any rift activity since the day before and that frightened him. It could either be interpreted as a nice change or a very bad turn for the worse. After all, who knew what this break might mean. It could be a silence before a huge storm that was about to break over Cardiff and Jack thought that possibility more probable then everything sorting itself out on its own.
John went partying - one thing that never changed. The former Time Agent never failed to visit a bar if he was in a new place, even if he was there for a mere couple of hours. And somehow he had always managed to pick somebody up when he wasn't wrecking the bar. If that was the case, then he was usually successful in having everybody leave.
Jack wasn't surprised when he saw Ianto standing outside the Tourist Information Center. He tried to convince himself that it wasn't the same person, that losing such a huge chunk of one's life changes it completely, but he couldn't. That desperate look on the man's face, that was the Ianto he knew.
"Ianto..." he said to himself, his voice filled with sparks of both delight and annoyance.
He looked at the cup of coffee he had bought earlier but never finished. It was really horrible. And no coffee was as good as Ianto's.
He left through the huge cog wheel entrance to the Hub and picked up his coat on the way out. Ianto was already there prepared to stand up to Jack in a fight.
"I am not giving up, sir," he said almost immediately after seeing Jack.
"I know that," Jack smiled.
"I can do whatever work you want me to do, I can do office work, I can even just clean and catalogue, I can arrange for the meals," Ianto continued, desperate.
Jack didn't answer at first. He was weighing his options. One more argument. If Ianto would fight just a little bit longer then he would accept him. Plus, it was a bit fun seeing him try so hard.
"I already told you that you're not getting in," he said.
"Then I guess you wouldn't be interested in capturing a..." Ianto started but Jack cut in.
"It can wait. I need a good coffee," Jack ordered.
"What?" Ianto blinked surprised by the ease of convincing Jack.
"You're in," Jack said. "And I need that coffee straight away."
Jack was smiling. Just a few minutes ago he was about to reject any and all of Ianto's pleads but he couldn't do that now.
"Right away, sir," Ianto said .
"Just," Jack stopped him right before Ianto managed to place his hand on the handle, "you'll need to go and buy some. And the coffee machine is busted. I have no idea where you got your previous one."
"Of course," Ianto turned around, still having that little barrier of unapproachability he had had the first time he started working for Torchwood.
o*o*o
Tobey's first day wasn't the most exciting but it certainly was the most promising of all first days he had ever had. Moving equipment could be quite boring but when he finally saw what they had installed he was more than awed. Torchwood had access to everything: CCTV, police, hospitals, they had hacked into probably every possible government database existing on the planet. There were translating programs (which worked also on alien languages) and satellite access, something called Rift Activity Monitor attached to a huge tube with all kinds of wires which was placed in the middle of the Hub. He wasn't allowed to touch that and having a vision of using all sorts of other alien technology he wasn't especially disappointed.
Tobey could easily feel that he wasn't being trusted by John but he worked hard and listened to every single rule, regulation, obligation and prohibition and followed every instruction in setting up the computers. For once he actually followed the rules. He only wished this resolution would last.
And now he was back. He went inside remembering all the instructions and codes. Jack was checking something on the internet. It was the same thing he googled the day before. Something about a bank robbery in Cardiff.
"Do you think there are aliens involved?" Tobey asked.
The way Jack ignored him at first suggested it was a bad way to start the subject on his first day at work.
"It's worse than that," Jack said but didn't explain more. He turned around suddenly when the cog wheel door opened again. "Coffee, finally," he said seeing Ianto with a bag of groceries in his hands. "Over there," he pointed at the place where the coffee machine always stood. "But come over, first," he said jumping down the spiral stairs to the Autopsy Room. "And as for you," he turned to Tobey, "that computer is yours," he said, pointing at Tosh's former post.
Ianto left the groceries on the sofa and followed Jack. He was still amazed at how the Hub had changed just because all the lights and equipment were working. The last time he had been here it was dark then only lights lit were red emergency lights and a few white lights near the Rift Manipulator.
Before Ianto could reach Jack the cog wheel door opened again. This time John entered the Hub, head up high and with such confidence that one could even think that he owned the place and was the Torchwood First in Charge.
"Now this place sure changed a lot since yesterday," he said looking at all the computers and equipment working properly and then turning his gaze onto Ianto. "I see you're back from the dead, Eye Candy," he said seemingly casually but there was a hint of nervousness in his voice that Jack didn't fail to miss.
"Have you done what I asked you to do?" Jack asked cautiously.
"The beauty is parked outside," John said showing Jack the keys to the SUV. "You've got quite a stock of those there, Jack."
"A lot of things happen to them," Jack explained. "Occasionally they even get stolen," he added and a small smile appeared on his face at the memory.
"So what are you two up to then?" John asked casually walking towards the Autopsy Room. "I'm John by the way," he added remembering that Ianto had lost his memory. "We knew each other."
Jack rolled his eyes. Meeting someone while that person tried to destroy the world wasn't exactly called knowing.
"We're checking Ianto for aliens," Jack said trying his best to hide the whimsical smile appearing on his face. Not even a year ago that sentence would have meant something completely different than it did now.
Ianto didn't notice Jack's slightly changed voice and that tiny bit of self-restrain. He did however notice his eyes cautiously following John. Jack looked at the man in the French-Napoleon jacket the same way he looked at Ianto but at the same time completely differently. His gaze whenever he turned to Ianto was full of trust and melancholy but also content and happiness. However whenever he looked at John that bit of trust he had for Ianto would change into anger and cautiousness.
"Right..." John smiled.
"Place your hand on this plate," Jack instructed Ianto. "It will scan your whole body. Kind of like an x-ray but it can detect abnormalities depending on the settings," he explained.
Ianto obediently placed his hand on the plastic plate that reminded him a bit of a small light box only the plastic was black and not white. There were a few cables connecting it to the power supply and other equipment in the room. At the same time Jack was typing data into the computer. It took a few minutes until the scan was completed and the results were displayed. Almost every possible detail about Ianto's condition was marked red. The pulse was far too faint, his organs seemed to be failing or - more likely - recovering. Only his brain was functioning normally. There were traces of extraterrestrial energy present around his body, focused in a few points - mainly in his heart, lungs and stomach. They were in constant movement.
"This isn't very good, is it?" Ianto said seeing the results projected on the white wall above.
"Well at least we know that something is keeping you alive," Jack concluded. "Otherwise you wouldn't be able to stand up. And it seems that it's just enough to keep you going. But we still don't know what happened to your memories, what these things are and if they are healing you or not. Or, if you are really human. For all I know any creature could imitate those statistics." Ianto wanted to protest but Jack continued without stopping. "Or maybe there's another explanation?" Jack added gazing at John. "I'll ask you again: when you said you messed things up, what exactly did you mean by that?"
"Right..." John knew he couldn't escape that look of accusation. "Before I say anything, let me just say something in my defence," he said. "First, I didn't mean any harm to anyone. I swear this time I really wanted a happy ending. Second, I wanted to land here a week earlier. This whole thing would've been avoided if we got here last week. And third I had nothing to do with him forgetting you being his..." he coughed noticing Jack's evil glare. "His boss... and all that," he corrected. He approached Ianto and snapped his fingers right next to his ears. A tiny, barely visible ball of light appeared on the tip of his finger.
"They're nano-genes," Jack said. "But it's impossible! They don't take so long to heal somebody. Plus, Ianto was dead, I saw it with my own eyes! He was cold!"
"Yes, usually it takes seconds for them to heal even the biggest of wounds," John started explaining, "but there were maybe twenty of them, probably even less. And remember, they usually work in groups of millions, tens of millions... hundreds of millions? Something along those lines anyway. So do the maths. Besides he was poisoned and, well yes, theoretically dead. That gave them a bit of work to do."
"Theoretically dead?" Jack couldn't help but notice a hint of cynicism in John's voice as he said that.
"Yes, theoretically. In practice, I don't know how or why but his brain was still working even though his body was dead."
"OK, we'll talk about this later. We've got a mission to do," Jack said suddenly changing the subject. He still couldn't trust John completely and there were a few things he wanted to ask him and he preferred not to in the Hub, depending on what kind of answers he could receive. "Tobey, be on the comms at all times and keep monitoring the area in case anything happens. Ianto, you settle Murro's case. All the documents, safe house, job, you know the drill. Also, make this place look presentable and maybe take care of upstairs. Oh, and one more thing Ianto," he run up-to him and gave him a credit card. Ianto didn't want to know how he got hold of it in such a short time. Just yesterday he was still stealing from cash machine.
"I'm guessing bills, equipment and such?" Ianto said.
"Yes," Jack couldn't help but smile. No matter what happened that man never had any problems with figuring out what was on his mind.
Jack followed John outside but Tobey stopped him in the middle with a very unexpected question.
"What about Andy?" he asked.
"Andy?" Jack repeated surprised. "What about him?"
"Well he's been kept in the dark for all this time, but he's not stupid. He knows something is going on," Tobey explained. He just couldn't help but feel guilty about the whole situation. He felt as if he had used Andy and then just threw him away when he had achieved what he wanted.
"And...?" Jack said it without any care.
"All I'm saying is that you can't read everything out of police records," he said knowing that Jack would easily take the hint.
"I'll think about it," Jack said with distaste. He was giving in to too many requests recently. First John, then hiring Tobey and Ianto and now he was actually considering the request about Andy. He knew that Tobey didn't necessarily mean hiring Andy but only cooperating with him and telling him the truth he deserved to hear.
He left right afterwards leaving the two alone in the Hub. Tobey put on his ear piece and turned around to Ianto. 'So, what's up with you and Jack?" he asked. He could easily see there was more to that relationship than boss and his employee.
"What do you mean?" Ianto asked clueless.
"Nothing really," Tobey decided to drop the subject. "And what's the deal with you forgetting? I mean you did stop by the police station earlier and everything."
"I don't know," Ianto said. "It seems that I died and then in some miracle way came back to life and forgot everything I knew about Torchwood. Torchwood and my life during that time. Except for some things that I think never really mattered to me that much."
"Have you had any luck remembering anything?" Tobey asked.
"Not really," Ianto said. "I can sometimes feel like something is right or just normal when I should be thinking it's something completely weird or impossible."
Tobey smiled. "Well, I searched for Torchwood for two years. Now that I'm here I can't really figure out what is going on. Is this reality or just another dream of mine. You on the other hand. You finally lost that lost-boy look of yours. You must feel really at home here."
Ianto looked at him surprised. He felt so comfortable he hadn't even noticed the change. "I guess your right."
o*o*o
John approached the black SUV and entered from the drivers side. Jack opposed the idea almost immediately.
"You are not driving!" he said firmly.
"Oh, come on, let a guy have some fun!" John argued playfully.
Jack didn't give in. He stood in front of the door waiting for John to scoot over to the passengers seat. He was patient and finally John gave up and with a long sigh he changed his seat. Jack went in and started the engine. He smiled unconsciously feeling the wheel under his fingers. He was so used to driving the SUV the cold wheel felt natural.
"There's one thing I want to ask you," he said once they were already on their way. "How did you know about Ianto?"
"You really don't wanna know..." John said with a grimace. But Jack was squeezing the wheel now and his knuckles were white and if he weren't driving he would be staring right at John. Jack's glances that were sent his way were enough to make him spill out what he knew. Which was very little actually. "Somebody told me," he said. "And I don't know who it was to be honest. I just got a message. And those few nanogenes I gave Ianto."
"I'm surprised you didn't sell them. Miracles always catch a high price."
"I know you like assuming that I'm the black character in all this but I honestly am not. At least not this time. And at least not completely black. I was honestly trying to help."
There was a long silence before Jack said something. And it was the last word that John had expected to hear: "Thanks," Jack said. John almost expected him to blush when he spoke that word.
Jack took out a mobile and dialed. He dialed Gwen's number and then Rhys's office when he couldn't reach her. But none of them answered. He cursed and tucked the phone into his pocket. None of the numbers worked.
"She's not there," he said frustrated. "We have to reach the safe house before she does. Before I do..." he corrected.
"We'll have to hurry then," John said.
John dialed again. This time the Hub. "Tobey," he said quickly as soon as the call passed through. He didn't even give Tobey a chance to take a breath and say anything. "Clear the streets, we don't have any time to lose."
o*o*o
Finding the right place wasn't very hard. Jack stood on the parking in front of four blocks of flats. Almost everything was ready. Gwen Cooper's Honda was parked next to a red Reno on the end of the parking lot. He was just waiting for the bomb. Aoife was supposed to deliver it to him. The connection in yesterday's call from her was very bad for some reason but when he tried to contact her back it got a lot better. She had said that she would give him the right equipment today before the compartment block. She didn't however mention when she would arrive so he had been waiting since dawn around the building.
The air next to one of the lamp posts flickered and in a blue light Aoife appeared with a device in her bionic hand.
"You certainly took your time," Jack commented with a smile.
Without any feelings expressed on her face she passed the bomb to Jack. He took it from her casually. She stared at him intensely and finally she closed her eyes and embraced Jack tightly. "Be careful," she whispered into his ear. She then kissed him on the cheek to his utter surprise. "And you were right. About me and Nathan..."
"Well if you ever get bored I'm always there for you," Jack said smiling. His voice was playful but his eyes showed that he was surprise by those bits of emotions she had showed him recently.
But Aoife disappeared just moments later and Jack returned to being alone on the parking lot. And a car was approaching. He entered the first building. And just before a black SUV rode into the parking lot at a speed a lot faster than the recommended sixty kilometres per hour limit.
o*o*o
Jack swerved and at full speed rode onto the parking lot. He stopped rapidly and John had to hold the handle above the door to keep in place. He heard the rubber tires squeak against the asphalt paving. Then they stopped. For a few seconds they sat in the car, Jack scanning the parking lot and the windows and John waiting for the right moment to announce his plan.
"I'll deal with Jack... you..." he said when he saw Jack's hand on the door handle.
"Do you want to... leave?" Jack raised his eyebrow. He was staring at Gwen's car already parked neatly at the end of the parking lot.
"As much as I hate it," John said in a very theatrical voice. "I'm afraid we can't meet each other from now on." He smiled more leniently, "Maybe someday you'll let me into this world of yours of your free will."
Then they left for the building door. Jack opened it with the code key and followed John in. He left the automatic lockdown disabled. He had to check four flats, two of them were in this building and the other two in two different ones. He hoped to find Gwen in one of the first two to save the time. He rushed up the stairs taking no notice of John who was heading down stairs to the basement where it was most likely for Jack to plant the bomb.
The first flat he checked was under the number "3". He pushed the doorbell and heard a sweet melody of singing birds coming from inside the flat. Soon the door opened. The person didn't look like the owner of such a doorbell at all. He looked a bit like a retired boxer with a bold head and a bit of fat hidden under a much too big T-shirt. He wasn't a very likable person but Torchwood members' duties were clear. Also, jumping in time sixty years can make a person a bit grumpy.
Mark Thomas had a great career being a military officer after the end of World War Two. But instead the rift had taken him and he got stuck in the twenty first century where he was absolutely nobody. His experiences in war made it very easy to explain to him what happened but he had lost his previous confident self forever.
"Jack," he said with such distaste that Jack had almost felt the air around them get thicker.
"I'm looking for Gwen. Has she been here?" Jack asked wanting to leave as soon as it was possible.
"No," the man shook his head.
Jack didn't bother with a goodbye. He knew that whatever he did he would never gain the sympathy of this person. He doubted anybody could.
He rushed up the stairs to the flat right above Mark's. This would be a much more pleasant visit. He waited for only a few moments after ringing the door bell. He knew immediately that he was lucky this time. He heard Gwen's voice and another girl's younger than Gwen.
Lilly, unlike her neighbour from downstairs, was one of the most cheerful aliens to come to Cardiff. She was light years away from her home planet and only thanks to a device on her neck she could hide her blue skin and other reptilish features she had had since birth. She had blue lenses hiding her normally yellow and green eyes. Her hair was dark blond and reached her shoulders. She had a blue dress on with flower patterns on it. The ever-present smile lit her face and made her red cheeks look childish. She was older than Gwen but her voice and features were still that of a young adult.
"Hi!" Jack kissed the girl on the cheek. "Is Gwen here?"
"Yup!" she said radiating happiness as usual.
She had changed so much since they found her on one of their trips to London. She didn't come through the rift but her teleportation device had gone wrong and taken her to Earth. She was terrified when instead of her family she saw hundreds of humans walking down Oxford Street. She cried for weeks stuck with the Torchwood team in the Hub with nobody she knew and unable to go outside because of her body. After the holographic device was found she finally cheered up and although she still felt isolated she started assimilating with the new world.
"Jack?" Gwen went slipped out of the living room.
Jack passed Lilly, grabbed Gwen's hand and pulled her out of the flat.
"We have to go," he said seriously.
"Jack, I have to take Alex," Gwen said pulling her hand out.
"Lilly, if you could," Jack said to the alien girl. She nodded. Her eyes showed a bit of fear but she didn't ask questions.
Lilly put her hand on Gwen's shoulder and gently pushed Gwen forward.
"Wait, Jack!" Gwen protested but the girl was far stronger than Gwen had expected her to be.
The two women rushed down; Lilly led Gwen out of the building. The former Torchwood agent didn't stop complaining. She tried freeing herself from Lilly's hold and finally when she did she rushed back to the building and up the stairs. Lilly couldn't stop her.
o*o*o
John went down the stairs quickly, jumping two or sometimes three steps at a time. There was that tiny bit of fascination making his heart beat faster. He wondered how big was the change in Jack since he had left the Time Agency. He knew that Jack was different now but just how much did he change? And there was the second thing. He loved Jack, the old Jack. The one he used to work with. But once he had found Jack again this time in twenty first century Cardiff that had changed. Now he loved the new Jack as well, the one he knew so much and yet so little about, the one he had both everything and nothing in common. He couldn't figure out at all what would happen next. His own heart was a stranger to him. And he couldn't help feeling that tiny bit of nostalgia whenever he looked at Jack. Those good old time in the Time Agency won't come back. They can't. Not anymore... Or could they?
It was fairly easy to find Jack. John could recognize that way of dressing everywhere. No grey overcoat, yet. But there had always been that bit of military feeling to him ever since he had taken on the name Captain Jack Harkness.
John was confused till the last second before he started to talk to him. Should he tell him he was from the future or should he simply act as if he were from the Time Agency. The second option was a far better strategically but he did prefer the first one just to see Jack's reaction. And then there was the other problem. Or maybe not a problem but an opportunity. Now that Jack was still the old Jack, the Jack that didn't hate the Time Agency he could maybe have his old Jack back. And by far the biggest problem of them all was what to tell him about the whole mess he was in. That the Time Agency wanted to kill him?
John took out a small object from his pocket. Jack still didn't notice him.
"Two years, huh?" he said to himself. After what Jack had told him about his all the pieces came together. "It's an awful lot of time for some people," he said. Then he looked up. It was a very weird feeling to see Jack's former self just minutes after seeing the present one. After travelling in time back and forth for so long he had gotten used to seeing surroundings change in a blink of an eye. But it was so much different to see that happen to a person he knew. "Jack," he said, his voice still full of hesitation.
Jack turned around. His face expressed surprise mixed with something that John has missed in the present Jack. Or to more exact: the Jack he had met in the bar on a far away planet. It was the joy of seeing an old friend and the will to live. He didn't plan on taking Jack to Cardiff in the beginning. But Jack, although he kept hiding it, was happier now than he was a day ago on the Platorian planet.
"Long time no see!" Jack said. "What brings you here?"
John smiled. This was probably the first time in a long time that his meeting with Jack didn't involve any fighting.
"There are new orders," he said. "I'm getting you out of here and we have a different mission," he bluffed.
"I'm nearly done here," Jack protested. "This sounded quite important." He really was nearly done. After setting up the range and force of the bomb all that was left was the timing.
John sighed. Maybe there would be fighting involved after all?
"Jack, listen to me! Shut that thing down and we're getting out of here. They weren't going to give you any money anyways, so..."
"What are you talking about?" Jack asked still not letting go of the controls.
John bit his lips. And here he hoped for just one normal conversation. He also hoped that he wouldn't have blurted that nonsense out. He stepped closer and hit Jack. Why does it always have to end with this? he thought observing if the bomb left his hands or not. Jack wasn't an easy opponent and John new that perfectly well. But this time he could resolve things a lot differently.
After being hit twice more by his colleague, he set the controls on his vortex manipulator. He then snuck up behind Jack and held his former colleague's hand against the strap. It wouldn't last long and he knew that just one move was enough to knock him off his feet in this position but it was enough for those few seconds that he needed.
"Where are we going?" Jack asked quickly feeling the leather under his fingers and figuring out what John had just done.
"Somewhere far away," John said and added a quiet "I hope" on the end. He felt that there was something going on with his manipulator. That week time change was not a coincidence. But telling that to Jack would be the biggest mistake of his life so he decided to leave that one tiny detail out.
o*o*o
Gwen rushed up the stairs. Her heart was beating faster than ever and she was mad at Jack for doing what he had just done. But she was mostly mad at the fact that she was trying to once more put the blame on Jack. She knew that taking Alex here wasn't the greatest idea but she did it anyway out of her mother pride. It seemed easy to blame everything on Jack and she realized that doing that was doing more harm than if she had just realized her own fault. In that anger she almost bumped into Jack who was walking down the stairs with her baby. After leading her out he had come to take Alex. But Gwen felt unsure about leaving him with her boss.
Jack was going down fast but was careful and looked before stepping on each step. He stopped when he noticed Gwen. The mother exhaled with huge relief and took her baby from Jack. Her heart was beating fast but it was now calming down with Alex close to her chest. He was outside of his baby carrier but that was explainable. After all it would've taken so much more time to take Alex out safely if Jack were to take safety measures before taking him downstairs.
Jack, however, wasn't happy with this turn of events. Gwen had returned to the building and she was once again in danger. He told her to hurry up.
Outside he finally gave a proper explanation.
"The me from the past is trying to blow up the building and you with it," he said quite bluntly and with no introduction.
"Aren't you going to stop yourself?" Gwen asked.
"I can't," Jack answered. His eyes were fixed at the door but they looked at something other than what was in front of them. "From now it all depends on John."
"Don't tell me... That John?"
"None other," Jack said.
"I'm going in," she said. The tone of her voice was enough to suggest that she didn't trust John in this matter at all. Nor in fact in any other matter.
Jack stopped her. He grabbed her arm, gently but firmly enough for her to not be able to escape.
"Whoever is doing this wants you and me dead," he said. "Whatever happens, we can't let him get what he wants," he explained.
"So what do we do now?" Gwen asked skeptically, not in the least convinced by Jack's words.
"We go," Jack said turning around towards the SUV.
Gwen didn't like John but she didn't expect this kind of behaviour from Jack.
"So, we're just going to abandon him?" she asked outraged. She didn't like John but it wasn't enough to accept Jack leaving him like this.
"There's nothing I can do!" Jack insisted. "It was his choice. Take Alex and Lilly and get as far away as you can..."
"Excuse me," Lilly interrupted them bashfully. "What exactly is happening?" she asked.
Jack's face twisted in a grimace. The smile was gone from his alien friend's face now and fear now entered her eyes. He hadn't seen her look like this since the day they first saw her hidden under her coat, trying to hide her face away from the crowds.
"There might be a bomb planted in the building," Jack said. "And it's me who planted the bomb. Now my friend is trying to stop myself from doing it."
"Shouldn't we ring the drill?" Lilly asked. She was quite understanding of the extraterrestrial matters which some people – be they human or alien – just couldn't comprehend. As an alien herself she was more tolerant and she didn't have to have everything explained to her properly. And which was probably the most important thing - she could think more clearly when something of this sort happened.
"You two should go," Jack insisted.
Gwen looked at him once more, her gaze blaming him for all that had happened. She knew she couldn't win with him now. She placed Alex in the hands of Lilly and herself sat behind the wheel. She didn't even bother to say goodbye and drove away gazing at Jack angry in her rear-view mirror.
Jack waited for the car to disappear. The bomb still hadn't exploded so he could deduce that John most likely succeeded in stopping or delaying him. He went into the building. The word passive just didn't appear in his dictionary. The basement was empty. There was a bomb lying on the floor, dropped, the screen displaying a sequence of signs. It wasn't activated just yet. He hid the device in his jacket. He smiled, for once being thankful that John had come to Earth.
o*o*o
Ianto was cleaning the tourist information office when Jack entered. He looked up from behind the desk to see his boss take off his grey military coat and hang it on the hanger right behind the door. Jack looked around. Without all the dust and old, out of date fliers this place looked a lot like it used to some time before. Which was a good thing. He could easily deduce that Ianto maybe had forgotten what he had been doing but for sure he had some sort of instinct that helped him fill those gaps. After all he knew exactly what to do and had no problem with doing what he was supposed to without proper explanations.
"Murro is now Remus Gill, sir" Ianto said not looking up. "All the files are on your desk."
Jack knew Ianto well enough to see through his awkward behaviour. Ianto wanted to ask something but wouldn't dare to in case he did something wrong. In most cases Jack would just wait but this time he wasn't sure if he would eventually say what was troubling him. He had no choice but to ask Ianto about it.
"I want to see my sister... and my... grave," Ianto answered. He was still looking away. Gwen wouldn't tell him anything and he started to understand her but he still wanted to see it. To see the life he used to lead even if it was just a glimpse.
Jack looked at him to ensure himself that he was serious. He told him the name of the cemetery. "But your sister... just be careful what words you use," he added.
Ianto smiled. He still wasn't entirely sure whether he wanted to see his resting place and his sister or not but was thankful that Jack gave him the choice.
"Oh, and there's a letter for you," Ianto added when Jack was already heading towards the staircase. "I put it on your desk," he said and when Jack was already in the corridor and out of his sight he added loudly: "it looks like a love letter!"
Jack smiled. He had another admirer, or so it seemed.
Once inside the Hub he greeted Tobey who looked like he was finishing his job and putting all the data about Murro's new identity into the government system. Tobey turned around the moment he heard Jack's voice. He looked around and saw that John wasn't with him. "Where's John?" he asked.
"Probably somewhere far away," Jack said content.
Tobey raised his eyebrow. He was still not used to this job but there was something about Jack's voice that made him wonder what "far away" actually meant.
"He isn't, you know... dead... right?" he asked.
Jack smiled. "I think the last thing John is is dead. He may not be immortal but I doubt he'd be dying any time soon either."
Tobey started wondering about those weird words. But he couldn't delve into it any more because Jack had already gone into his office.
The letter on the Jack's desk really looked like a love letter. The envelope was pale pink with Jack's name neatly calligraphed on it. The paper inside was white and plain but it looked like each inch of the paper was entirely covered in neat script. He put it away. There were still a few things to do. Three people in Torchwood were a few too little he concluded.
o*o*o
Ianto stood in front of a small gravestone that didn't really differ from all the others on the cemetery. There was one flower lying there already withered away. The name read "Ianto Jones". Underneath there was only his date of birth and apparent death. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. There was no "rest in peace" or "loving husband". Of course, he hadn't had a proper life when he was in Torchwood. Apparently, his friends were dead and out of all those he knew only Gwen had stayed in Cardiff and out of what Ianto had seen in her house she seemed to want to distance herself from Torchwood as much as possible. Who had left this flower then? He had no doubt it was Rhiannon, his sister. After all chrysanthemums were her favourite flowers. He looked to his right, ready to leave and there she was. His lovely, lovely sister who was the first and last person he wanted to speak to at that moment.
Rhiannon's hands were held up to her lips, a bouquet of flowers lied dropped next her feet.
"Oh my god," she repeated a few times slowly approaching Ianto. "It is you, isn't it?"
"I missed you," Ianto said. This wasn't a lie he realized a moment later. He really did miss his sister. She was the only anchor of normality for him right now. The only person he remembered.
Rhiannon hugged Ianto tightly and the brother gladly returned the embrace. He thought he would cry but he ended up trying to cheer her sister up like a proper big brother. And he was the younger sibling.
"How is this even possible?" the woman asked. "That bloody Torchwood of yours... I always knew it would do you no good."
Ianto released his sister. "I think there will come a time for explanations," he said. "I need to figure out a few things myself."
"Then you're going back to Torchwood, aren't you?" his sister barely held back the tears. "Do you want me to live waking up every day thinking that it might happen again? Like it did last time?"
Ianto didn't answer. "Have you told anybody about my past?" he changed the subject.
"How could I do that," Rhiannon looked at him with pity. Her face was tired. She couldn't stand Ianto's work being so dangerous but most of all his secrecy and lack of trust. Those few times when he had visited she thought that maybe it had changed a bit but it was all her imagination.
"Torchwood is the only place where I can get answers," Ianto said after a prolonged silence. "And that's what I need the most right now."
Just be careful, Ianto, his sister thought but couldn't say these words out loud. She knew that in the end they wouldn't matter at all.
Ianto walked away without a word. He found his way through the maze of tombstones onto the street. But just before he walked out of the ornamented gate something caught his eye. The gravestone was obscure, probably over fifty years old. Only the sign on the bottom was clearly visible: loving husband, loyal friend, an honorary citizen. But the name was barely readable. To someone who didn't know it it would've been hard to decipher. But Ianto knew that name and he was certain he didn't misread it. The sign on the tombstone was Captain Jack Harkness.
o*o*o
Police Constable Andy left the station in the already late afternoon. He had done his rounds and filed in the reports. But all the urban delinquents and fights and bad-mouthed brats and petty thieves made him realize something. After loosing his chance of a promotion he wasn't angry. He was furious. He had worked stopping minor crime at least five years now and he saw absolutely no improvement. Seeing Jack Harkness on the opposite side of the road didn't really lighten his mood. Torchwood never meant anything but trouble.
Andy crossed the road and approached the man. "So, you came to officially tell me to bugger off?" he asked not bothering with formalities.
Jack raised his brow. "Do you want me to tell you that?" he answered with a question.
Andy took a moment to consider. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. He wasn't sure if all the "alien bollocks" was his thing or not. On the one hand he was curious and tired of Gwen avoiding him, on the other, he wasn't sure if he wanted to get in all that dangerous situations. Yes, he had chosen the police occupation himself and was ready to take the risk and stand up for his country but Torchwood was another thing altogether. For one thing he doubted they even worked for a country.
But then of course, there was Gwen...
"Well, I don't want to get you out of the way..." Jack said and Andy looked at him puzzled with a tiny bit of fear and hope in his eyes. "But I won't recruit you either."
Andy raised his brow. "Do you always talk in this roundabout way?" he asked. "I can't help but think what an amazing leader you are..." a hint of irony was present in his voice.
"The best," Jack smiled ignoring the sarcastic tone. "It would be a good thing if we had somebody like you, somebody in the police who would inform us of any unusual situations. Considering all the information we've got to filter through another pair of hands would be quite helpful. And everybody knows you don't really do anything. You would be useful. As an informant. A liaison if you would."
Andy looked at Jack with disbelief. He couldn't tell whether he was praising or criticizing him. But he couldn't just say no. "Bloody Torchwood," he murmured and walked away.
Jack smiled. From the look on Andy's face he could tell it was a "yes".
"I'll contact you about the details!" he said after him.
o*o*o
Jack returned to the Hub. Tobey had already left and Ianto was sorting through old files in the dim light.
"I thought you'd already gone home," Jack said.
"I took the afternoon off, so I thought I'd do a bit of work just to catch up with things," Ianto explained.
"Well, don't worry about it. There's nothing urgent on right now. You can just go home anyway."
Ianto stopped what he was doing.
"Oh," Jack remarked. "You still haven't got a place, have you?"
"I don't want to impose on Gwen too much."
"Well you can't stay here working all night."
Ianto looked down. He didn't like where this conversation was going. And he could read the atmosphere: Jack wanted him gone. But there was one thing he wanted to ask first. "Was there anything between us? You know, before... It feels like Gwen isn't telling me something."
"We were good friends," Jack answered a bit too quickly. "The thing Gwen said was quite accurate. Danger bonds you together in a way nothing else does."
"Yes, good..." Ianto fell silent and the atmosphere suddenly felt awkward. He finally put all the files on the table. "I'll be going then," he said but didn't move from the spot.
"Right, I'll see you later then," Jack said. "We'll get your apartment sorted out tomorrow."
"Thank you, sir," Ianto finally started to leave.
He was halfway up the stairs when Jack called him once more. "That's my favourite suit by the way," he said and immediately regretted it. Old habits die hard.
Ianto smiled unconsciously while his face turned red. "I'll try to wear it more often then." He felt he couldn't linger on. "Good night sir."
"Good night Ianto!"
Jack stayed trying to frown and smile at the same time. He wanted to tell Ianto the truth immediately but he didn't want to put pressure on him. That and he was scared of losing him again. He didn't know how he could ever go through that again. But he knew that he would have to and probably not only once. He pushed the thoughts away and focused on that one last thing he needed to do that day. He took the letter he had gotten earlier and opened it carefully. He read what was inside:
"Dear Jack, It has probably been a mere few days for you since we met, but for me it has been over ten years. I still remember perfectly well that night when you and John changed my life. My heart was beating faster than usual then and it wasn't just because of the danger and excitement. In that bar, on that night, you were my first love, Jack, and even if I knew you for barely a few hours you meant the world to me. Of course, I do realize that I was childish and inexperienced back then. But you opened the door to a life of adventures for me. And I thank you for that.
"After you left me I escaped the planet on one of the ships that docked there. On the next planet I found a person with whom I travelled the universe back and forth, past and future. It had been hard at first, before he noticed me running through the crowd. I tried learning about the objects we had stolen but it was obvious to me that some of the people there wanted to cheat me. In fact, I was swindled a few times. I met him while stealing food from a cram. I was forced to do it that one time. As I was running away he helped me and we both escaped from the planet and hid somewhere far away from those docks. He was very intelligent and I can't deny that very handsome as well (though not as handsome as you). I was really shocked when he threw away most of the things that we had stolen from the police headquarters. He asked me if I wanted to travel with him. I don't know why but I just couldn't not trust him. Oh and where didn't we go, Jack! I travelled so much, and I have seen so many beautiful places! I still can't believe my luck to have met him. I've seen the seven moons of Nanarond and the aurora polaris. It was all beautiful but could not compare to the light I had seen on my home planet. I have never returned there to see that sunrise again, but if I have a chance I will do so without a second thought.
"I have looked for many things during my journeys and found many things as well. Not always those for which I had searched for but always what I needed. I found love. Love and happiness. He is the exact opposite of you. Not a superhero type. He is quite normal but I love him and I think that I will always do. I am happy with him.
"I also searched for you during those past years. I've found horrible things during that time and beautiful things as well. I have learnt of your friend and lover Ianto. The one you spoke of before. It was me who gave the tip to John about him being still alive. He doesn't know it though. I can't say my information source was reliable or that I could trust the people who gave me the tools to save him but I figured that if there was any chance then it must be risked. I know now that it helped and I hope that you two are happy together. Or at least that you feel relieved.
"That brings me to the main point of this letter. I fear that you are in grave danger. And by you, I mean you, Jack and the whole of Torchwood. This is when it all changes and if you are not prepared then the changes will not be good. They will try to kill you, Jack, because you are the only person who can stop them. I can't tell you much more, not because I don't want to but because I don't know much more about them. I fear that they might be controlling more than I originally thought. I don't know how far they have delved into this society in order to find a way to assassinate you and your friend Gwen Cooper. I wish you good luck for I fear we might not be able to meet again. I wish we did but no one really knows where our path takes us. With love and hope, Zoe."
Jack was smiling while reading the beginning of the letter. Only the ending made a grimace sneak onto his face. It was never just about saying hello. And it seemed that Zoe didn't know about all that had happened.
Danger was coming. Again. He knew that now he would just be waiting for the new day to come. And after the twilight he and Torchwood would be ready for whatever was coming.
Thanks to Ash-Vernei for beta-reading :)
Third episode coming up next Friday - I'm on holiday since today so I'm taking some time off from publishing.