Jack was almost literally in a blind rage, running on adrenalin. In his mind's eye, he saw each of the six men who had attacked him, and he no longer felt that numbing, paralysing fear. Instead, he felt a white hot, all-consuming fury. He pictured Ianto on the ground, being kicked and taunted and threatened, and that fury bubbled over and literally exploded.
With the benefit of hindsight, Jack would admit at least to himself, that he would probably not have acted but for the sound of his young lover being hurt. Now, all fear was forgotten as he ran after the man who had fled.
He had no thought for those who were coming after him – he knew the Doctor was one; he could Fhear his voice calling out to him. All he could think of, though, was getting his hands on the man who was ahead of him. Jack was so single-minded in his determination that he didn't anticipate his prey stopping, and waiting for him in the darkness.
The iron bar came out of nowhere, slamming into his gut and winding him severely. Jack staggered in shock, and the bar came down hard on his back, driving him to the ground. As he lay there in a momentary daze, his assailant took the opportunity to emulate his associate, and kicked Jack hard in the side.
"You fucking poof. Think you'd have a chance in a real fight, against a real man?"
In his peripheral vision, Jack saw a hand reaching towards the gun that he'd dropped moments before. Fresh rage surged through him, and he rolled onto his side and kicked out hard, driving his booted foot upwards into the unsuspecting man's groin. In the few seconds it took for the man to recover from the blow, Jack was back on his feet and had the sorry son of a bitch pinned to a tree.
There, face to face in the dim moonlight, the man finally saw and recognised his intended victim.
"You... Fucking hell, it's you! You ought to be dead! How in the fuck...?"
Jack was in no mood to waste his breath with pointless taunts. Lunging forward, he head-butted the man in the face, breaking his nose and possibly a tooth or two, and followed that with three rage-fuelled punches to his gut. Then, while the man was still stunned by the rapid succession of blows, Jack snatched the gun up off the ground, and aimed it right between his eyes.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you," Jack hissed. "Give me a reason. Go on, I want to hear you beg."
"Fuck you!"
The words were defiant, but there was fear in the man's eyes. Jack's expression turned downright ugly, and he released the safety catch.
"You already did that, remember? Tell me something, though, you piece of shit. If you're so against my sort, then what does that make you?"
"Wh... What are you talking about? I'm not a goddamn fag..."
"What did you do, then? Take Viagra? Must've been a hefty dose. If I remember right, you came back seconds, thirds... even fourths. Got it up every time, too. Is that why you hate guys like me so much? Because the truth is, you're just like me, and you hate yourself for it." He pressed the gun forward, resting the barrel between the terrified man's eyes. "I think I'm right, so going by your logic, I'd be doing you a favour by pulling the trigger. That is what you said to me, isn't it? That you were doing me a favour? Well, my mum and dad always taught me to pay back favours in full."
Tears glistened in the man's eyes as he stared past the barrel of the gun, into Jack's enraged face and saw his own death there.
"Who... Who the hell are you?"
Jack bared his teeth in a feral grin.
"I'm the one you should have walked away from."
He was a split second away from pulling the trigger when a hand alighted on his shoulder, and another closed over the gun and pushed it gently down. Jack looked around breathlessly to find the Doctor there beside him.
"No, Jack," the Time Lord told him quietly. "That isn't the answer, and you know it."
"He deserves it!" Jack argued, though his tone lacked conviction. "They all do."
"Maybe, but that doesn't make it the right thing to do."
Movement alerted them to the arrival of Gwen and Kathy. Gwen came forward slowly, with anxiety on her face.
"Jack, please! Don't do it. He isn't worth it."
"She's right, Jack," Kathy added. "You're a better man than that."
A bitter laugh escaped Jack's lips.
"You wouldn't say that if you really knew me."
"I know you," the Doctor said firmly. "I can say without a doubt that you're bigger on the inside."
"Is this where you tell me not to disappoint you, then?" Jack asked in a guttural tone.
Throwing a pointed look at the man Jack had pinned to the tree, the Doctor leaned in a pressed a tender kiss to Jack's temple.
"You've never disappointed me, Jack. And you won't now, regardless of what you do. I love you. Always have, always will. I'm just asking you to think twice now for your own sake. Please, Jack. Don't do this. Don't kill him."
Slowly but surely, Jack released the grip he had around the man's throat.
"Good man, Captain," the Doctor murmured as Jack finally released his hold on both the gun and the man, and stepped away into the Doctor's waiting embrace. Kathy nodded in acknowledgement of the Doctor, and stepped in to arrest the man.
"I'm placing you under arrest…."
"What the fuck for?" came the slightly hysterical response. "You saw him, he was threatening me! I… I wanna lay charges!"
Kathy glanced over at Jack. Right at that moment, he appeared oblivious to anything but his odd, lanky friend with no real name.
"Captain Harkness, can you identify this man?"
Jack lifted his face from where it had been buried against the Doctor's shoulder, and looked his assailant right in the eye. Only the very slightest of flinches gave away his high level of anxiety.
"Yes, I can. He's one of the six bastards that attacked me on Christmas Eve." Jack's breath caught in his throat, and his grip on the Doctor tightened a little. "He's the one who carved into me with a knife."
Kathy spun the man around, even as he began to protest his innocence, and proceeded to get out her set of handcuffs.
"I'm arresting you for assault, unlawful imprisonment and sexual assault…"
She didn't get any further. The infuriated man suddenly twisted away from Kathy and, with a howl of rage, lunged at Jack and the Doctor. Gwen and Kathy both shouted in alarm, and the Doctor grunted in surprise as Jack shoved him out of the line of fire an instant before he was tackled to the ground. There was a glint of metal in the dim light, followed by a pained cry from Jack that trailed off into a sickening, gurgling moan.
"Get off him, you piece of filth!" Gwen screamed and, with a strength born of adrenalin and rage, she hauled the hapless man off the Captain.
"You really, really shouldn't have done that," the Doctor growled menacingly as he picked himself up. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he activated one of its many settings and pressed it to the man's head. He went rigid for several seconds before collapsing unconscious to the ground.
"What did you just do?" Kathy asked in shock. "You didn't kill him, did you?"
"No, just knocked him out," the Doctor reassured her. "He won't wake up again for another twenty-four hours, at least, and when he does he'll have one hell of a migraine."
Satisfied, Kathy turned her attention back to Jack, and felt her heart sink. Gwen was cradling him to her, heedless of the deep laceration across his throat, from which his life blood poured. He was still alive, but even as Kathy watched, the light in his eyes dimmed and then disappeared altogether.
"Oh no," Kathy whispered in dismay as the shock of what had just happened began to sink in, and tears stung her eyes. It was unfair, she thought bitterly, that Jack should come through so much, only to die now at the hands of a coward. She walked forward almost on autopilot, and sank to her knees beside Jack. He was a bloodied mess; the laceration had cut deep into his throat. "Son of a bitch got his carotid artery," she said unnecessarily. "He never had a chance. Damn it!"
"What are you doing?" Gwen asked as Kathy brought out her mobile phone.
"Calling an ambulance for that waste of space and his mates, and for Jack."
"No need for that, Detective," the Doctor said. "At least, not for Jack. By the time the ambulance gets here, it'll be as though nothing will have happened."
Kathy stared at him incredulously.
"Don't tell me you're still trying to perpetuate this whole 'he can't die' business? Look at him, for God's sake! He's dead! I'm sorry, but he isn't going to just wake up!"
The Doctor said nothing in response, but raised an eyebrow at her, which only served to heighten the detective's irritation.
"Damn it, this is no time for fantasy! He's dead, and there's no coming back from that!"
"Miss Cooper," the Doctor said in an infuriatingly calm tone, "would you please contact your colleagues, and ask Miss Sato to bring young Mr Jones here? I think Jack would be grateful to wake up to him, don't you?"
Gwen looked very much like she wanted to argue, but didn't dare. Instead, she activated the comms, and asked Tosh to bring Ianto, giving them a very brief run-down of what had happened.
"You're mad," Kathy said incredulously. "You're all bloody, stark-raving mad. This is… It's…"
"Mad?" Gwen offered with a wry smile. "Welcome to Torchwood, Detective Swanson."
Movement in the trees alerted them to Tosh and Ianto's arrival, and Ianto hurried to Jack's side and gently took him from Gwen, heedless of both his own injuries and the copious amounts of Jack's blood that rapidly stained his clothes.
"Thankyou," he murmured sincerely to Gwen, and she answered him with a small smile and a nod. Then, he returned his attention to Jack's lifeless body, and laid a soft kiss on his lover's lips.
"Come back to us, cariad. We're waiting. I'm waiting."
Kathy shook her head, torn between wanting to laugh and cry.
"You're all certifiable! This is insane, I should be calling for support, and an ambulance… and the coroner…"
The Doctor laid a hand on her shoulder, silencing her rant. When she looked back at him, she couldn't help but notice the acute discomfort on his face.
"Wait for it, Detective. Any moment now…"
Kathy, to her credit, only uttered a tiny, startled cry when Jack suddenly lurched back to life, arching in Ianto's arms and gasping wildly for air. He flailed briefly, but Ianto kept a firm hold on him and continued to speak soothingly until Jack settled.
"Wha… What happened?" he asked, sounding understandably hoarse.
"He attacked you, Jack," Gwen answered. "He cut your throat."
Jack groaned, coughed painfully and then groaned again.
"Crap. I hate death by exsanguination. It always takes me a few hours to get my strength back."
"Well, just relax for a moment," Ianto told him. "Just lie still until you feel up to moving."
Jack was more than happy to do just that, and he all but snuggled into Ianto's arms.
"You'll get blood all over your suit," Jack mumbled. Ianto leaned down to kiss him tenderly. Encouragingly, Jack didn't shie away, but rather pushed up into the kiss.
"I don't care. My suit can be cleaned."
Jack sighed contentedly, and settled once more, until his gaze went to Kathy, who was still gaping.
"Still think we're crazy?" he asked. Her mouth snapped shut, and she glared half-heartedly at him.
"I think I just witnessed something completely impossible."
A tired smile flickered across Jack's face.
"Not the first time I've been called that. Right, Doctor?"
The Time Lord regarded Jack fondly.
"You're still an impossible thing, and I wouldn't want you any other way."
Suddenly aware that Jack was in danger of going to sleep right there on the rough ground, Ianto began to try and lever him up.
"C'mon, Jack. Let's get you up. This is not the place for having a nap."
Jack grumbled in protest, but allowed himself to be pushed up, and from there it was a joint effort to get him on his feet. There Jack stood, exhausted but very much alive, and with one arm slung around Ianto's shoulders for support.
"I'll call for a team to come and get this sorry bastard and his mates," Kathy said. Instantly, Jack's expression hardened.
"No."
It was said with an authority that was in no way diminished by the fact that Jack was clinging to his lover like a limpet. Kathy, however, had never been guilty of capitulating to Jack without reason or argument, and she didn't intend on starting now, no matter how weak he appeared to be.
"Jack, we have four of your attackers here, and you want me to just let them go?"
"I didn't say that," Jack answered coolly. "We're taking them back to the Hub and locking them up there until we decide what to do with them."
Ianto and Gwen exchanged surreptitious looks. Neither one had missed the fact that Jack had said 'we' rather than 'I'.
"This can't go to trial, Kathy," Jack said. "Now you know why. I keep my secrets for good reasons. My own team only found out that I can't die by chance. And the world at large just isn't ready for Torchwood, or the truth about what we do."
She conceded, if with extreme reluctance, hating to admit it but knowing he was right.
"All right. Okay. Back to your base it is, then."
"Did you know?'
Jack looked up from where he lay curled up on the couch in the rec area. It had been Owen's orders upon their return to the Hub that Jack rest, and the medic had made it abundantly clear that he would not take no for an answer. That had been just fine by Jack. He'd spent the trip back from the Butetown estate dozing on and off whilst resting in Ianto's embrace in the backseat of his young lover's car – the vehicle had been driven by Tosh, who had kept glancing at them in the rear view mirror with a sad and wistful look.
Now, Jack watched as Tish Jones approached slowly and crouched down beside the couch so that they were much closer to eye level.
"Did you know they'd be there?"
"No," Jack answered honestly. "No, I didn't know. It hadn't even occurred to me that they might be there. I just… I wanted to face it. To see where it happened, and not have break-down. I wanted to prove that I'm still strong."
Tish looked at him reprovingly. It was a look, Jack thought ruefully, that she'd inherited exclusively from her formidable mother.
"No, Jack. You wanted to do it because you couldn't do it on the Valiant."
He flinched visibly at her words but, tellingly, didn't argue with her. She reached for his hand and grasped it gently.
"It's okay, you know. I understand. So, were you able to?"
"I couldn't make myself go inside," he admitted, eyes downcast. "I wanted to, but in the end I couldn't."
"No shame, Jack," Tish whispered. "You said that to me when I couldn't go back on the bridge of the Valiant, remember?"
"And Francine said it to me when I couldn't go back down to the engine room," Jack murmured. "No shame… I miss your folks, Tish."
"They miss you, too. When they come home, you're coming for a visit, and no arguments."
Jack smiled wanly. Exhaustion was creeping over him, and he was very nearly asleep. Tish paused, and then took a chance and leaned in to kiss him lightly on the cheek. Jack sighed faintly at the contact, more asleep now than awake.
"Love you… Yan…"
Tish smiled faintly, and as she rocked back on her heels, movement drew her attention, and she looked up to find Ianto hovering at the end of the couch. It was clear from the look on his face that he had heard Jack's whispered confession.
"He really does love you, you know," Tish said quietly, getting up with Ianto's help.
"I know. I love him, too."
A moment later, he winced as Tish slapped him on the arm.
"Then make sure he knows it, you silly git!"
Ianto flushed bright red at the admonishment, and tried to steer her away from the awkward subject.
"Can I ask you a question, Tish? About what happened on the Valiant?"
She faltered, but then nodded her consent.
"All right. Won't promise I'll answer, but ask away."
Ianto sucked in a long breath.
"This is going to make me sound like a bloody schoolgirl with a crush, but did Jack talk to you about me at all?"
Tish couldn't help herself. She abruptly burst into a fit of giggles, and had to quickly cover her mouth.
"Sorry… I just got a picture in my head of you in a school dress and pigtails."
Ianto smiled wryly.
"Please, don't ever mention that to Jack. It'll only give him ideas."
She had another short burst of giggles before her smile faded to make way for something more melancholy.
"We weren't supposed to talk to each other on the Valiant. He didn't like it."
"You mean Saxon?"
She nodded quickly.
"Yeah. Him. He didn't want us to communicate, because he said that led to collaboration. Anyone he accused of collaboration died horribly, and publicly… so we all just kept our mouths shut."
Ianto felt sick.
"Except Jack was never one to keep quiet."
"He never talked about you or the rest of Torchwood when Saxon was on board," Tish explained. "I don't think he dared, because he didn't want to bring you all to Saxon's attention. But there were maybe half a dozen or so times when Saxon left the Valiant with that horrible wife of his. Then one of the techs would put the CCTV on a loop, and a couple of the guards would swap shifts so we could go down and spend a few hours with Jack. Just me, Mum and Dad, mind. The Doctor couldn't leave the bridge. Some of the guards were still loyal to Saxon, and they would have told him. When we could do that, though, Jack would talk to us about you. He talked about Owen, Gwen and Toshiko, too, but he talked most about you, and when he did his whole face lit up." She paused, and then said again, "He really does love you, Ianto."
Ianto blinked back the threat of tears.
"I know."
"Five down, one to go," Kathy said ruefully as the fourth man was locked into a cell. The remaining three had been heavily sedated by Owen for the trip back to Torchwood. No doubt, when they each eventually awoke, they would be wondering where the hell they were, and what was going on. That was a moment they were all quietly looking forward to, though none would admit to it. "I reckon this clowns will give up their mate pretty quickly, once they realise what sort of trouble they're in."
She wasn't being facetious, either. It was the first look she'd gotten at the Torchwood Three containment cells, and it was enough to send shudders through her. Despite the technology that kept the cells secured, the place still looked like a medieval dungeon, and she half expected to see door leading to a torture chamber somewhere nearby. She imagined the four sorry individuals currently locked up there were going to get the fright of their lives when they woke up and realised that they were somewhere infinitely worse than the average police lock-up.
At least, she certainly hoped so.
"Maybe," Owen conceded, bringing the detective out of her brief moment of rumination. "But we still don't know what to do with them, and I for one am against retcon."
The Doctor nodded approvingly.
"Quite right, Dr Harper. No one should have their memories taken from them. Jack, of all people, ought to understand that."
Owen turned and focused a savage look on the Time Lord.
"That isn't what I bloody meant. I don't think we ought to retcon them, because it's letting them off too damned easy!"
The Doctor's expression hardened fractionally. He could hear the threat in Owen's voice as clear as day, and he really did not like it.
"So, what are we going to do with them?" Gwen asked quickly, anxious to defuse the sudden tension in the room. "There's no point in turning them over to the police, but we can't leave them here indefinitely."
"I won't stand for them to be killed," the Doctor warned them. "So don't even contemplate it."
"Can we at least agree that they deserve to be punished for what they've done?" Toshiko interrupted. Kathy nodded fiercely.
"Absolutely, and it's not just for what they did to Jack, even though that's enough on its own. These men are sadists, and they're killers. I don't have any solid evidence, but I sincerely believe that they're the ones who are responsible for at least eight other similar assaults over the last couple of years."
"Assaults that all resulted in death," Owen added, recalling what she'd told him only a couple of days ago up in the tourist office. Kathy nodded again.
"Yes. Jack is just the first one to have survived, and that's not because of his… whatever you call it. He didn't die, and come back to life that night. He did actually survive. Now, if I had my way, they'd go to prison for the rest of their lives. I know what our judicial system is like, though. Not being able to put Jack on the stand to testify, any half-way decent lawyer could easily plant the seeds of reasonable doubt. The sons of bitches would be acquitted, and there'd be nothing we could do about it. It just doesn't leave us with any options. They should be locked away, but it isn't going to happen."
"Tosh?" Gwen asked quietly, noticing the suddenly thoughtful look on her friend's face. "What are you thinking?"
All eyes turned to Toshiko, who looked very slightly queasy.
"I might have an idea," she admitted, "but I want to talk to Jack about it first. Whatever we do, however we deal with them, we need to make sure it gives Jack peace of mind. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Owen said, speaking for all of them. Tosh looked around at the small group nervously.
"I think we can do that, but like I said. I want to talk to Jack first, and see what he thinks."
"All right, then, Miss Sato," the Doctor conceded. He was watching her with an odd, knowing expression, and Tosh couldn't help but get the feeling that he somehow already knew what she was thinking. "The decision will be in Jack's hands."
tbc...