Notes: I was inspired to write this story after watching American Horror Story: Asylum. The stories are nothing alike, but it's worth mentioning because watching the show inspired some scenes.
"It's such a peaceful place. Hard to believe what's happened here," Ianto Jones said as they walked down a gravel road deeper into the woods. He held up his scanner, looking for anomalies in the air.
"I'm not even sure where we are," Jack Harkness complained, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his great coat. When they decided to go on a mission together, he didn't expect to be looking for missing people in the middle of nowhere.
"Llwyn Celyn Woodlands," Ianto told his boss. "It's well-known for its hiking trails and recreational areas. This is actually a bit off the more popular trails; not many people come here anymore. I guess the ghost stories around the Westwood Asylum keep them away."
They continued walking in silence.
"Ianto, why do you know so much about mental hospitals?" Jack suddenly inquired. He'd been wondering about it for a while.
"Why?" Ianto asked as he examined the results on their portable scanner. They had been walking through the forest for some time but had found no suspicious anomalies.
"Well, you appear to know all of them. Like Providence Park when we went to see that old lady, Christina when we investigated the Night Travellers," Jack noted. "And now this place. It makes me wonder what's up with all of that."
Ianto's lips curved into a sour smile. "When I was a kid, my father used to threaten to have me admitted. He warned me that if I didn't pull myself together and grow up, I'd end up in the looney bin. In his opinion, daydreaming and spending time alone was retarded and a denial of reality."
"Being introverted isn't a reason to get admitted," Jack said, bewildered.
"I guess he counted on me not knowing that. When I was about eleven or twelve, I wanted to know why he thought a mental hospital would be a good place for me to be. And then I became obsessed with the stories surrounding some of them, especially historical ones. Westwood was such a fascinating place. It opened in 1902 and served as a mental hospital until the late 1950s, when it mysteriously disappeared overnight, becoming an urban legend."
"Disappeared?" Jack asked, surprised.
He remembered being at the hospital once or twice for Torchwood business, but that was about it. He'd assumed it'd closed and been demolished at some point.
"That's what the rumours say," Ianto nodded. "In reality, there isn't enough information about what happened. The foundations are still there, but the building appears to have collapsed or burned down. They discovered some of its patients wandering through the woods the day after the incident, but their accounts didn't shed any light on the mystery. Who would believe the insane stories of mental patients anyway? They were simply transferred to other institutions, and their stories were forgotten."
"So, let me get this straight, we're working on a case of missing people in the area of a mental hospital that has also gone missing," Jack summarised.
"I guess so," Ianto said, adjusting his equipment again. "But so far, I'm getting zero readings. Maybe we should split up to cover a larger area."
"Splitting up while working on a missing people case," Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Or not," Ianto said sheepishly. "Bad idea, got it. Maybe there are no traces to be found while the phenomenon is inactive. It's only been three people in three weeks."
"Makes me wonder why Gwen insisted on this being a Torchwood case in the first place. People go missing all the time," Jack wondered. "And we've already ruled out the rift; it's not active this far out."
"Yeah, but why would a jogger, a woman with a dog, and an elderly lady go missing? No reason, no pattern, no motive," Ianto pointed out.
"I still think it's Gwen's way of giving us an afternoon off because we'd refuse otherwise," Jack shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Ianto glanced up from his scanner, taking in his surroundings. It was a beautiful autumn day, and the leaves on the trees were a vibrant mix of red, yellow, and orange. The air was crisp, but the sun shone brightly, bathing everything in a warm glow.
"You think so?" Ianto inquired, sceptical. It was just the three of them since… Tosh and Owen were gone. It had been tough to keep everything up and running. Free time was a luxury they couldn't afford.
Ianto was still deep in thought when he felt Jack's hands on the sleeves of his coat, which he was wearing over his suit, beckoning him closer for a kiss. Their lips brushed gently together, sparking desire. Without hesitation, Ianto placed his hand on the back of Jack's head, deepening the kiss. The scanner slipped out of his other hand and landed on the leafy ground. While their tongues danced together, Jack pushed Ianto back and pinned him against a large tree. Heat spread through Ianto's body as he unconsciously pushed his hips forward to get closer to Jack.
When they came up for air, Jack raked his hands through Ianto's hair and kissed him on the jawline.
A moan escaped Ianto's lips, and he leaned his head back against the tree trunk.
"Jack," Ianto breathed heavily. "Come on, not here. Everything will just get dirty and wet."
Jack sighed and buried his face in Ianto's neck. For a brief moment, they remained like this, inhaling the scent of mutual desire. Then he let go, disappointed, and pulled away from Ianto. He looked at his wristwatch. "Okay, thirty more minutes, then we head back to the hub."
The half-hour of fruitless searching was almost up, and Jack was more than ready to call it quits. Of course, it was a beautiful day, but he usually preferred to spend leisure time with Ianto in a different way.
Jack was looking at his watch again when the air around him suddenly flickered, and he felt dizzy. A moment later, the sensation was gone. When Jack looked around, he realised something had changed. The forest looked different. The sunny day had turned cloudy.
"Ianto?" he called into the woods, but there was no response. During their search, he must have gone in the opposite direction.
Jack muttered to himself. They had agreed not to split up. Jack had always been protective of his team, but with the deaths of Tosh and Owen, the need to keep his friends safe had multiplied tenfold. He knew he couldn't wrap them in cotton wool, but he didn't think it was too much to ask, not to take unnecessary risks.
He was especially protective of Ianto, even though the young man despised any kind of special treatment. Gwen had a boisterous personality that let her rise above any obstacle, but Ianto was the opposite in many ways.
His intelligence and acumen were second to none, but his reserved and quiet demeanour had always aroused a protective instinct in Jack. He knew very well how much Ianto despised his overprotectiveness; they had often argued about it. That's why he tried not to overdo it.
Jack sighed and looked around, but there was no sign of Ianto anywhere.
He couldn't deny his feelings for Ianto. He had tried to keep the relationship strictly physical at first, but Ianto had gradually wormed his way into his heart. Jack couldn't bear the thought of something bad happening to him due to his carelessness.
As a precaution, Jack drew his Webley from the holster beneath his coat and carefully walked deeper into the woods. The dry autumn leaves rustled beneath his heavy boots.
After a while, he was surprised to come across a building nestled into the forest's woodwork. This didn't look like the ruins of the asylum Ianto had described to him.
What was this place?
Jack frowned as his steps turned slower. He looked around, trying to figure out where to go. The old building was massive, with red brickwork extending far to both sides and reaching at least three stories in height. The towers at each corner grew even taller.
Suddenly, he heard a gun click behind him, followed by a yell: "Hands up, intruder!" A dog growled. Jack stiffened and slowly raised his hands, clutching his Webley tightly. He felt a rifle barrel poke into his back as someone moved closer and disarmed him.
"This is all a misunderstanding," Jack said, using all his charms to diffuse the situation. "My name is Jack Harkness, and I work for Torchwood. If you let me lower my hands, I can show you my identification."
"Torchwood, eh? Thought you looked familiar. That doesn't explain why you're sneaking around the compound, though. I'll take you to the Director, he'll know what to do with you," the man behind him said sharply.
"Director? What is this place?" The situation became more bizarre by the minute. If this establishment had any dealings with Torchwood, Jack would know about it.
"You almost sound like one of these strays wandering around the woods. This is Westwood Mental Asylum. And we don't take intruders lightly."