Title: Flame beneath ashes - Chapter 11: The deal
Summary: AU. After the events of Countrycide, Ianto was retconned and allowed to start a new life in London. Intervening accidentally in a burning building, it's a very different man Jack meets four years later. But can Ianto really escape his own destiny?
Rating: T
Characters: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Myfanwy, Original characters.
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Owen/Tosh, Gwen/Rhys (mentioned), Ianto/Lisa (past)
Genres: Alternate universe/action/romance.
Warnings: Violence, swearing, sexual situation (nothing graphic), character's death (temporary)
Spoilers: Spoilers for seasons 1 and 2. Exit wounds and Children of Earth are only mentioned as incidents and Miracle Day, of course, never happened
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Special thanks to my precious beta reader badly_knitted. Thanks to my wonderful readers for being so patient. I swear it's the last time I start to publish a fic which isn't finished.
Chapter 11: The deal
After the panel had slid closed, Ianto took off his jacket and sagged on one of the plastic chairs with a loud sigh.
He wasn't so sure anymore that it had been a good idea to ask Jack about their relationship. The Captain's answer had raised more questions than it had answered and all Ianto could hope, now, was that he hadn't shot himself in the foot. Jack had seemed very upset and Ianto couldn't help but notice how hard the guy had tried, all that time, to keep his distance each time they had been together.
He pulled his packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and idly played with it. He was craving to light one, but each time he was about to, a voice in his head, sounding suspiciously like Jack, teased him about how kissing an ashtray was unappealing.
Tossing the packet aside, he put his head in his hands and let out a whimper.
God, only two weeks ago, he was living his quiet normal life in London, with a normal job and normal friends. His biggest concern was to decide what colour he would repaint his kitchen. And there he was, seated in the anteroom of a secret organisation, waiting to know if he was worthwhile enough to be a part of it again, whilst toying with the idea of kissing his... former? new? boss.
Now that he had got confirmation that his attraction for Jack wasn't only the product of his imagination and that indeed there had been something between them, an endless stream of questions was rushing in his head: when and how had it started? Before or after Lisa? Was it only about sex? Were there feelings? From both sides? Why wasn't Jack so sure it had been a good thing? Was it Ianto's fault? Had he done something wrong? Was there still a chance that they could get together again?
He threw his head back and breathed slowly, forcing himself to calm down. First of all, he had to stay focussed on getting his job back, then it would be time to deal with more personal subjects.
Closing his eyes, he started to count the minutes, hoping Jack would soon come back with good news.
TW TW TW TW TW
Half hidden in the darkness of the corridor leading to the main area, Jack paused for a moment to surreptitiously watch his team.
Obviously, this morning hadn't been busier than the other days.
Whilst Owen was bent on slaughtering zombies on his computer screen, swearing and muttering under his breath, Gwen and Tosh were huddling together on the old couch, admiring Tosh's diamond ring and giggling like two schoolgirls.
Jack couldn't help but smile. The ordeals the two women had faced together over the years had undeniably led them to become as close as sisters, in spite of a difficult start which had been made worse by their rivalry over Owen.
With Tosh's help, Gwen had learned to channel her energy, to be calmer and more composed, but without losing her spontaneity. In return, she had helped her friend to be more extroverted and to enjoy life. Which had certainly contributed to the fact that the grumpy doctor and the shy genius had finally come together.
Turning his attention to Owen, Jack could see that though the young medic seemed fully absorbed in his video game, a half smile was hovering on his lips as he managed to cast an occasional glance towards his fiancée.
Despite Owen's constant efforts to convince the rest of the world that he was a perfect bastard, Jack had seen him in action often enough to know better than to judge the book by its cover.
Behind the manners of a bulldog whose favourite bone had been stolen, he was a damn good doctor and a good man. They had had their share of bad times of course, as when the members of the team had let themselves be tricked by Bilis into opening the Rift, but whatever happened, Owen had always been there when needed, even in the worst moments.
After Jack had been forced to sacrifice Jasmine to the Fairies and Owen had discovered his 'gift', he had never considered him a freak. And even if Owen had never said it out loud, Jack knew he sympathized.
When Jack had come to tell him about Flat Holm and had asked for his help, he had complied without question and had done his job the best he could.
When he had been forced to cryogenically freeze Gray, and despite the resentment Owen could have had for his brother, the doctor had been there, once again, a silent but comforting presence beside him, whilst Jack was plunging his brother into an endless sleep.
In their own way, the three other members of Torchwood had become the closest thing to a family he'd had since his time with the Doctor and Rose and it was out of question for him to jeopardize it.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the shadows. As soon as he entered the main area, his co-workers jumped to their feet and rushed towards him.
"Jack!" Gwen called out. "Where were you? We thought..." She trailed off, but Jack knew what she was about to say.
We thought you had left.
He sighed inwardly. Would he ever hear the end of it? There were times he really wondered if one day, time would finally heal the scars left by his departure with the Doctor and if he would find a way to fully regain their trust.
Eyes on the ground, he strode to one of the workstations and leant against it, turning his back to them.
"I told you I wasn't going anywhere, Gwen. You shouldn't have worried."
"So where were you?" asked Owen, looking at him with suspicion.
"Needed to think," sighed Jack without turning around. Though he didn't see them, he could feel their eyes piercing holes in his back.
Tosh sent a knowing glance to Gwen, who nodded in return. They didn't need more to guess where he had been. 'Thinking' for Jack meant 'rooftop' and preferably the highest possible.
"All night long and this morning?" insisted Owen, his eyes narrowing even more.
"Owen..." scolded Tosh.
She was well aware that the lack of trust they had shown towards Jack the night before had hurt him. The last thing he needed right now was to have to justify himself.
Jack shook his head and sighed heavily before turning around, arms crossed on his chest, mirroring Owen's posture.
"Not exactly all night long. There was a Weevil alert. Just after your so romantic... proposal." He waved his hand towards Tosh's ring. "Didn't want it to kill the mood, so I took care of it myself."
Owen faltered, having the good grace to look slightly sheepish.
"Well, I suppose it explains why I found a dead Weevil in my autopsy bay this morning and another one locked in the cells."
"Jack!" Gwen gently scolded. "I thought you agreed to stop this. Chasing two Weevils by yourself, it's not reasonable."
"Three," Jack blurted out between his teeth.
Gwen frowned at him quizzically and he sighed. This was themoment of truth.
"There were three Weevils actually," he clarified. "And for the record, I wasn't alone to deal with them."
"What do you mean? Who…" she asked.
"Ianto. Seems that he followed me from the Hub and showed up in the middle of the fight. Not that I'm complaining. The bigger one was just about to shred me into pieces."
"What?" Owen nearly choked.
"Is he ok? Tosh immediately wanted to know. "Ianto. I mean, he wasn't injured, was he?"
Jack couldn't help but smile at the fact that predictibly her first concern was for Ianto's well-being instead of the reason for his presence in the middle of a Weevil hunt.
"He's fine. Barely got a scratch in the fight, but knocked one of them out and put another one to flight." He discreetly winked at her. "Believe me, it was quite impressive."
"But how… I thought he was on his way to London," asked Gwen, her eyes wide with surprise.
Jack sent her a sarcastic glance, suddenly more serious.
"Apparently not. From what he told me, your pal Davidson recognized him when he arrested him for speeding and made a couple of comments that convinced him there was still a reason to dig around."
Both Gwen's brows went up.
"Oh."
"As you said," Jack deadpanned.
"Shit," muttered Owen, running his hand through his hair. "For pity's sake, Jack. Tell me you didn't do anything stupid last night."
"Depends on what you mean by 'stupid'."
Owen exhaled hard and dropped his head, resting his chin on his chest, eyes closed. A few seconds passed in silence, then he shook is head and slowly looked up at Jack with weary eyes:
"I know I'm gonna regret asking this, but... What did you do?"
Jack perched himself on the desk, one leg dangling, staring at his feet.
"We talked."
"Talked?" repeated Owen skeptically.
"Yes. We talked," emphasized Jack a bit louder, lifting his head. "After having seen me resurrect in front of his eyes, I think it was the least I could do."
"You died?" shouted Gwen. "But I thought you were the one who killed that Weevil." She gestured towards the autopsy bay.
Jack looked at her and tilted his head to the side.
"Only after he shredded my femoral artery. A very unpleasant experience, trust me."
"Oh, Jack," Tosh whispered, laying a hand on his forearm in a conforting gesture.
Jack put his hand on hers and smiled at her reassuringly. He knew she had never really got used to watching him dying and that even if he always came back to life, she couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that maybe, one day, he wouldn't.
"It's getting better and better," Owen grumbled, before asking the fateful question that nagged at them all. "Did he regain his memories?"
Jack shook his head.
"No. Nothing. Neither after seeing me dying and resurrecting nor after I spent most of the night telling him about us and his missing two years."
"Wh... Are you insane?" exploded Owen, whilst Gwen put a hand on his arm to restrain him. "Did you think of the risks you put him at? What if all his memories had come back in one shot. Did you think of that? It could have killed him!"
"I know Owen!" roared Jack in return, just as loud as Owen, slamming his hand on the desk. "But I owed it to him!"
He stood up and started to pace angrily though the area.
"You don't know what it feels like not to know what you have done or where you have been for years. To have this hole in you head that taunts you every day. None of you have a clue of how it feels. But I do!"
"Damnit, Harkness! I've never pretended..." Owen was fuming, torn between anger and frustration.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Gwen stepped in, her hands lifted in a gesture of appeasement, suddenly in full 'PC' mode. "Calm down! Everybody calm down. We won't do any good by barking at each other like dogs."
Tosh was staring at them with wide eyes, taken aback by the sudden outburst. Seeing her stunned face, Jack stopped in his tracks and sighed. He wouldn't achieve anything by losing his temper.
He ran his hands through his hair and forced his breathing to slow down. He was supposed to convince them to give Ianto another chance, not to convince them that once again he had let his his own issues cloud his judgment.
"How is he?" asked Tosh quietly.
Jack sighed.
"Rather surprisingly, he's fine." The corner of his lips twiched slightly. "More than fine. He wants to come back to Torchwood."
"It's a joke," snorted Owen.
"Do I look like I'm joking, Owen?" snapped Jack. "I asked him what he wanted to do and he told me he wanted... No, his exact words were that 'he needed' to come back with us to feel complete again."
"And I suppose you agreed?" said Owen wearily.
"No."
Jack watched the shock wave ran through their faces and for a second he enjoyed seeing them gaping in a perfect imitation of goldfish.
"I told him you have to give your consent before I decide anything."
"Really? And what if we said 'no'?" Owen challenged him as soon as he had recovered from the surprise.
"Then, he knows we'd have to figure out something else and that it might imply erasing another part of his more recent memories."
"And you're okay with this. Just like that?" insisted Owen, his voice reeking of skepticism.
"Yes, Owen. Just like that," answered Jack almost dejectedly. "Believe it or not, your opinion matters to me."
The young medic didn't reply, only staring at his friend, looking for the slightest trace of insincerity.
"I agree," blurted out Tosh unexpectedly. "I want him to come back."
She knew she was speaking with her heart rather than with her brain. But it seemed that she was finally being given the chance to repay Ianto for what he had done for her in the Brecon Beacons and she was determined not to waste it.
"Tosh!" scolded her fiancé.
She turned towards him and looked daggers at him.
"What Owen? You've got a problem? Be careful. Just because I'm gonna marry you doesn't mean I can't have my own opinion and express it. Is that clear? Ianto was more than capable when he was amongst us and all I've heard about him of late has only consolidated my opinion."
With that, she stepped back and leant against one of the workstations, arms crossed on her chest, letting them know thereby she didn't intend to reconsider her decision.
Owen bit his bottom lip and lifted his hands defensively, rather chastised by Tosh's unusually sharp tone.
"Okay, okay. No need to bite. You do as you wish... but I'll do the same."
Gwen cleared her throat and sat on a chair neaby, her elbows resting on her knees, fingers crossed under her chin.
"Hmm. Alright. Not that I have any problem with Ianto coming back, quite the contrary, but... Isn't it too risky... for him?" she asked. "Because... Well, if you told him everything about his time with us and with Torchwood One..." Jack nodded in confirmation. "Ok, shouldn't it have triggered something? Maybe not all his memories, but... I don't know, a few scraps? What if he started to remember all of the sudden and crashed again?"
"I asked him again this morning," said Jack in a quiet voice. "He's fine. He assured me he doesn't remember and I believe him. Some weird feelings and déjà-vus, but no real memories of his two years with Torchwood." He paused and looked at the medic. "He doesn't remember... and I don't think he will."
"How can you be so sure he won't break through the retcon and start to remember?" pressed Gwen.
Jack turned towards her.
"Because, I think he already did." He glanced at Owen again, who was looking back and he could almost see the gearwheels of the medic's brain turning at high speed to follow his train of thought.
"But... You just said he didn't remember anything," said Tosh, surprised.
"That's right, but I don't think it has anything to do with the retcon. Though he is persuaded otherwise, I think he doesn't want to remember. Not that anyone could blame him."
Jack paused and thoughtfully scratched the back of his neck before carrying on.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I spent a lot of time thinking about it and the only rational explanation I could come to is that Ianto's brain has developed a sort of self-defence mechanism to protect him, like a sort of safety bolt which remains even after the effects of the drug have worn off." He looked at Owen expectantly. "What do you think?"
The doctor stayed silent for a while, then nodded slowly.
"On the face of things, I'd say 'why not'. But nothing says that this 'lock' is not likely to blow at any moment."
Jack sighed with exasperation.
"And nothing says otherwise either. Honestly, Ianto has an eidetic memory. After crossing paths with three Weevils and spending half the night listening to me spouting about the worst moments of his life, don't you think that if he was going to remember something, he would have done so
already?"
Owen opened his mouth to reply when Gwen stood up and pulled the rug from under his feet.
"Ok, it works for me. I vote for."
Tosh grinned smugly at her fiancé as she joined her friend and they linked arms.
"Sorry, Owen, but the majority wins."
"No," Jack cut off.
The two women turned towards him.
"But..." started Tosh, flabbergasted.
Jack shook his head.
"I won't force anyone into it. Either we all agree, or we let it drop."
"But Jack..." insisted Gwen with dismay.
"If you want to try to make me feel guilty, it won't work," said Owen with a stubborn look.
"Damn, Owen, I'm not trying to force your hand. I'm trying to convince you to give him a chance to resume his life."
"That's it? You're doing it out of pure altruism, without any further agenda. Like, maybe, giving yourself a chance to drag him back in your bed."
"Owen! For God's sake. Couldn't you take your dirty mind out of the gutter for once?" shouted Gwen, more and more aggraved by Owen's bad manners.
Purposely ignoring her, Owen walked throught the area and crashed down on the couch, looking Jack straight in the eyes.
"Ok. Convince me. I'm listening. Why do you want to have him back?"
Jack sighed.
"Obviously, not for the reasons you're thinking of."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
"You mean there'd be nothing more between you than a simple boss/employee relationship?"
Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering, carefully choosing his words.
"I mean that if something did happen between us, it would be because he wanted it and not because I used some trick to lure him back in my bed, as you suggested so elegantly."
Owen pulled a face.
"Mmm. Doesn't tell me why I should agree."
"Because it's in your better interest," said Jack, using the same tone he would use with a slow child. "We all know that given Tosh's state, we'll soon have to hire a new agent and Ianto is the most qualified to apply for the job."
"Do I have to remind you he forgot everything about that job?" objected Owen.
"He learnt it once. He can do it again. Gwen didn't know anything about aliens before we hired her."
"Yeah. You hired her and she got almost half of the male population of Cardiff killed. Yippee."
"Hey!" shouted Gwen.
Owen looked at her and cocked an eyebrow.
"What? It's true."
"Because you never screwed up, Dr Perfection?" sneered Gwen.
"Hey!" Jack protested. "Can you stop bickering like kids. That's not the point. Ianto has already been a Torchwood operative and a good one. He has an eidetic memory which is priceless for us. We also need someone with medical knowlege. As a fireghter, he has this knowledge and there is no risk he would puke his guts at the first sight of a drop of blood. What else do you want, Owen? He's made for the job."
"Ok," groaned the young man, running his hands over his face, before adding:
"But before we do anything, I want guarantees."
"What kind of guarantees?" frowned Jack.
"I just want to be sure he won't fall apart from one moment to the next under pressure and screw up, because suddenly he decided he couldn't handle it anymore and had a breakdown. So I want you to let me test him.
Jack looked at him dubiously.
"Don't worry. There will be no trap and nothing invasive or dangerous. Just a few tests in situations, to be sure he has the guts to do the job. If he succeeds, I'll you give my consent and we will start working together again. If he fails..." He pointedly looked at each of them. "If he fails, I want him to have his memory erased for the last two days and to be sent back to London."
He paused and stared at Jack's face, his expression softening fractionally. "For his own safety."
Owen didn't like what he was doing, but it had to be done. Jack was too emotionally involved to think straight, though Owen knew he was trying his best to do the right thing. He felt sorry for his friend, but someone had play devil's advocate and this time it was his turn.
"Do we have a deal, Jack?"
Jack nodded slowly.
"Deal."
"Good."
He could almost hear the girls letting out a sigh of relief and had to beat back a smile.
"Owen."
Jack's sharp tone startled Owen and he turned his head towards him again. The Captain was standing in the middle of the area, hands shoved in the pockets of his coat, staring at the ground and looking not even half as happy as Owen expected him to be.
"Yes, Jack?" he asked cautiously.
Although tinged with weariness, Jack's voice remained steady.
"You got what you wanted. Now it's my turn to give you my conditions. Don't worry there's only two and I don't think it will affect the result of your... test."
Owen frowned.
"I'm listening."
"First, if we have to erase his memories, you'd be the one doing it this time. There's no way I'm doing it again. Is that clear?"
Owen understood and merely nodded his agreement.
"What's the other condition?"
"If we have to resort to that, I want you to wipe my memory too. For the same period."
"Jack…"
Jack closed his eyes and shook his head
"I don't care what kind of excuse you'll have to make up. But if it happens, I don't want to remember the last two days."
I don't want to remember being so close and losing him again.
"Those are my conditions and they are non-negotiable. Is that okay?"
Owen bit his bottom lip and glanced at Tosh and Gwen, before finally nodding his consent.
"Ok. I'll do it."
"Good," whispered Jack, relieved.
Owen grunted non-committally, hoping wholeheartedly not to be driven to that extreme. He stood up and cleared his throat.
"Now, let's get down to brass tacks. Where did you leave the Teaboy?"
"He's waiting in the Tournism Office. And he's not the Teaboy, Owen," teased Jack with a smirk. "Not until you take him back on the team."
Owen growled and shrugged, pretending he hadn't noticed the baiting behind Jack's banter. Ignoring Gwen and Tosh's smug faces, he headed towards the exit and grumbled:
"Come on guys, move your butts. We don't have all day."
To be continued