14
Jack carried his beloved up to their room without aid, refusing to let anyone else touch Ianto while he was out of it. He knew Ianto would be horrified at his lapse and the thought of being so vulnerable so he allowed Mavis to take point even though it was not really necessary but he knew it would please Ianto to know she was close.
She was like a mother to him, Jack saw this now and it bought him comfort too.
She scuttled ahead to fold back the bedding, still angry and then she started to chuff in a low breathy way that had Jack hesitating. He had never heard them do this before.
"He will soil the bedding and be angry about it" she explained as she moved to the linen box at the end of the bed and removed a blanket that she spread over the bed. "Place him on this, then it can be washed later. Until he has washed off the blood and fear he will not be happy."
"No" Jack agreed softly, "Me either Mave."
"You tend your mate, I will tend our younglings. They be fine now" she assured Jack, her hand delicate and feminine as it patted his arm. Jack was always amazed at their cloaking abilities, smiling as he realised he didn't mind knowing it was really a claw folded in a clever way.
SOOOO not spiders.
He turned to find Yvonne in the doorway, nervously waiting for permission to enter their private quarters.
"It's OK, you can come in" Jack said as he sat to remove the shoes of his sleeping mate and Yvonne slid in to sit and look intently at Ianto's face. Jack glanced over and as surprised to see her dismay as she watched Ianto's had loll to the other side as he moaned in his sleep.
"He's in pain" she said softly.
"No, Owen has doped him to the gills. He's dreaming" Jack said as he dropped a shoe, "He'll punish himself, torture himself with all the ways our children might have been taken from us."
Yvonne leaned back and shook her head, "I may be doing that too."
"Yvonne, I need clearance" Jack said without a second thought as Mavis re-entered the room with bedding in her arms, pausing to watch Yvonne rise to face Jack.
"You were Red Carded" she said with a frown, "You know you can never go back into active duty."
"Yvonne, this may have been an attack on you but it became an attack on my family. My life. Besides, I am only Red Carded on Boeshane. Need I remind you that I am not on Boeshane? I am Welsh now, down to the Jones at the end of my name. Jack Harkness was Red Carded for excessive force. Jack Harkness-Jones is a free agent and either you give me clearance or I will go rogue and do it without your help." Jack said calmly, "Choose. Either I do this under the mantle of the Agency where you can clean up after me and take the credit when the heads roll or you can look the other way and claim total immunity when I make a mess."
"Captain, you know I will never turn my back on you or this family" she sighed.
"I hoped you would say that" Jack smiled as he stepped closer, "Yvonne, you are family too. We love you, this attack is an attack against my family, all of my family including you. They wanted your attention, they gained mine and if they really want to know why I was called the immortal Man they will find out. By Pete, they will meet the immortal Captain."
"You have my blessing and full support" Yvonne smiled as she looked at one of her best assets, "You are right. You were Red Carded for the Boeshane Clusters. This planet has no idea what I am setting loose."
Jack waited, his gaze shifting to Mavis and the other bugs who had gathered on the hallway to listen.
"With or without you, I will tear this world apart. I have resources you don't, I have a drive that is endless" Jack said with his chin jutting out, "Come on Vonnie. We both know how this will end."
"Yes" she straightened up, "Captain Jackson Harkness-Jones I hereby reclassify you as an Active Agent of the Torchwood Time Agency, Cardiff Division and give you clearance to any and all the assets afforded you as an elite member of my force. I give you clearance level …"
Jack raised an eyebrow and she smiled.
"I give you Clearance Alpha"
The bugs exploded from their frozen stances, rushing from the level down to the lower levels, their own soon discovering the new developments and those responsible for the attack on their benefactors would soon learn that they had not only mistakenly injured someone who was more important than their target, but their actions would have repercussions that might change the entire future of their bloodline.
The Captain was at the helm and the high seas were brewing.
Jack was heading into the storm.