Ianto was cleaning up in the boardroom when he heard the distinctive ringtone of the Torchwood Telepresence system as someone attempted to dial in. He sat down at the head of the table and pressing a button, making the wall retract to reveal the conference screens as he answered the call.
Once the call completed he saw a man in uniform facing him.
"Good afternoon, General Maddock, it's a pleasure to see you again," Ianto said with a smile.
"Mr. Jones, I'm glad I caught someone there. Wasn't sure how this fool thing worked," Grant Maddock said with a smile. "Is Jack available?"
"I believe he might be, please hold on while I page him," Ianto said. He turned off the microphone and stood up to get out of the range of the camera. Tapping his com, he paged Jack.
"Jack, are you available," Ianto asked.
"Depends, what do you have in mind?" Jack drawled. Ianto rolled his eyes. That man had a one track mind at times. Not that he normally complained about that, but sometimes it was nice just to keep business as business.
"I've got General Maddock on our Telepresence system down here in the board room and he's asking to speak with you. Do you have a moment, or should I tell him that you'll call him back?" Ianto asked.
"Nah, I'll come down. I wonder what the old cannon wants?" Jack asked. Ianto could hear him walking down the stairs so he ignored the question and turned back to the table.
"General, the Captain is on his way. I'd offer you a coffee, but this system isn't that sophisticated," Ianto apologized. The General chuckled and nodded.
"Make one for Jack and he can enjoy it for me," Grant Maddock said with a smile. Ianto nodded before turning away to do just that.
The coffee finished brewing just as Jack arrived. He stepped through the doorway and moved to take a seat.
"Grant, how are you?" Jack said with a smile as he accepted the mug from Ianto. "Thanks, Ianto." He nodded to a seat and the Ianto sat down with his own mug.
"I told Agent Jones to fix you some coffee so you could enjoy it for me," the General said. "I haven't had a decent cup since I left Cardiff." Jack chuckled in appreciation.
"I will do my best to enjoy it for you, then." He said with a grin as he took a sip and smacked his lips together. "What can I do for you?" Jack sat back in his seat and waited for the other man to speak.
"I have a situation here that I was hoping you could help me with," the General said. He nodded to someone off camera and a memo was passed in front of him to read. He looked back up. "Jack, you were involved in the design of the Valiant, were you not?"
Ianto could see that Jack's fingers were gripping his mug much harder than he really needed to. Just the mention of the UNIT ship made him tense.
"I was," Jack said, almost cautiously for him. "Why?"
"Well, it seems like you may be one of the only ones still around who can help us with an upgrade," The General said. "As you know, we lost her in the last battle with the Daleks. We were, however able to salvage parts to rebuild her. We were looking to integrate some new stuff in there and the central control area is locked off from my technicians. Rather disturbing, to tell you the truth, but when I think of where some of that stuff came from, I guess it's a good thing that they can't get in there."
Jack forced himself to relax as he put down his coffee mug. "Much of that was taken by Torchwood One from the Sontarans, though I do admit to working with Saxon on it." He shook his head ruefully. "I'm surprised you were able to rebuild her after the Daleks, actually."
"The central core was still intact, and we had the blueprints. But when it comes to the navigational and weapons systems, we're at a bit of a loss," General Maddock admitted grudgingly. "Think you can help us?"
"What do you need?" Jack asked. Ianto could see that he was making an effort to control himself as they talked and he looked down at his coffee mug. Even after all this time, it still bothered him.
"We're thinking of re-commissioning her as the Phoenix once she's finished, but we're still referring to her as the Valiant for now. Can you come up and open the system for us? Or do the upgrade for us, since I realize that a lot of that core system is still classified even from my own staff?" The General asked him.
"Damn, Grant, you're timing stinks," Jack told him with a sigh, although Ianto knew that the truth was otherwise regarding Jack's statement. "We're up to our elbows in stuff here at the moment. When are you thinking of doing this?"
"As soon as possible. Maybe you can break away for a day or two? We'll fly her right over Cardiff so you can be local in case you need to jump," the General promised him.
Ianto looked up to see that out of the camera view Jack's hand was trembling. He leaned into the shot and looked at the General. "Pardon me for interrupting, but I have considerable experience in this as well, since I worked with Toshiko on some of the redundant program and weapons modifications in the past and was one of the researchers on the Sontaran classification project at Torchwood One when I was there. Perhaps it would be best if I came up and did the modifications, which would leave Jack free down here for the project he's currently involved in for Her Majesty." Ianto turned towards Jack who was struggling not to look startled at the suggestion. "You do know how she hates waiting."
At the mention of the Queen they could hear people almost shuffling to attention on the other side of the conference. Jack quirked an eyebrow at Ianto. "That's an excellent suggestion, Ianto. I think that would work out admirably. When can you get the Valiant here, Grant?" He turned back to the display and looked at the General.
"Day after tomorrow," Grant Maddock said with a smile. Jack nodded and said that he'd see them then before disconnecting the call. He sighed and rubbed his face before taking another sip of his coffee. He put the mug back on the table and pushed it away, his fingers clenching in on themselves reflexively.
"I could warm that up for you if you'd like," Ianto suggested. Jack shook his head.
"Thank you, no." he said as he looked up at Ianto. "I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of that one," he admitted.
"Well, it does make sense, after all," Ianto said, ignoring Jack's comment. He was concerned about Jack's reaction, but now wasn't the time to talk about it. "I do have that experience and there's no sense in having you go up to do it. And you can call me back if anything does come up, though probably Gwen can handle most of it with you." He stood up and took their mugs over to the kitchenette to wash them. When he was finished he turned around and saw that Jack was resting his face in his hands. When Ianto went closer, he could see Jack was trembling.
He stepped behind Jack and put his hands on the other man's shoulders. He just rested them there, acting as a presence to let Jack know he wasn't alone, and that there was someone there if he needed to talk. After a moment Jack sighed and tilted back his head to look at Ianto.
"Sorry," he whispered. He looked haunted, and Ianto's heart went out to him.
"Nothing to be sorry for, Jack," Ianto told him in a quiet voice. He wanted Jack to know that if he wanted to talk that he was there to listen. He moved forward a step and let Jack's head rest against him. "It's okay."
Jack closed his eyes and just concentrated on his breathing. Images flashed through his head. Memories which he had hoped were buried had been pushed to the fore by his recent conversation. He could feel Ianto's hands resting lightly on his shoulders, his body solid behind him. He took comfort in that, and the fact that Ianto supported him with no questions asked. Though they had talked about what had happened during the year that never was, there were still portions that he had been unable to articulate. Ianto had told him that whenever he wanted to, he would be ready to listen. Perhaps it was time. He opened his eyes and tilted his head back, staring up into Ianto's gaze. If there was anyone in this world he could tell, it would be this incredible man behind him.
He opened his mouth, but found he couldn't utter a syllable. No sound passed his lips and he found the memories still too painful to talk about. He shut his mouth and closed his eyes again. Not yet.
Ianto's heart almost broke as he saw a tear escape Jack's eye. Lips trembling, he leaned down and kissed Jack on the forehead, and then he moved to kiss the tear away. He moved his arms to circle Jack's chest and held him. Neither of them said anything, there was no need for speech at that moment. When he felt Jack get his breathing back under control he rubbed his cheek against Jack's before turning to kiss his cheek, his lips brushing against the rough stubble on Jack's skin.
"Thanks," Jack whispered his voice rough with emotion. Ianto didn't reply and just continued to hold him. When he felt that Jack was back under control again he kissed him on the top of his head again as he pulled back.
"I need to brush up on the ship design and take a look at Tosh's notes. Would you like me to do that here, or back upstairs?" He asked Jack, changing the subject. When Jack was finally ready, he knew that someone would be there for him. Until then, they would continue on as usual.
"Upstairs would be more comfortable for you at Tosh's station, wouldn't it?" Jack asked. Ianto shrugged. "Why don't we head back upstairs?"
"Works for me," Ianto said. He moved back to let Jack stand up before following him out the door.
*
