A/N: I'm thinking about making this longer chapters a habit, to publish less often but longer ch.
Spoiler alert: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian
Jack drove his team but he still felt uneasy, there was a tension in the air. He wasn't experienced in all of this returning and apologizing thing. His style was more hit and run, just like their corpse near the Rift activity. Residual patterns of energy were all too obvious.
"He was grabbed and pushed" he said to Tosh, he knew exactly in what manner, the move wasn't unfamiliar to him, but those were different times, he was a different person.
"Back in charge are you" said Gwen with a smile and he knew it wasn't far now before things returned to normal.
"I hoped for some power struggle resolved with some naked mud wrestling" he answered lightly, he wouldn't mind mud wrestling, it was always fun, in difference to the rugby match she dragged him to. All the men were completely covered up, and contact was reduced to shoulders pushing and shoving. He glanced back at Ianto, naked wrestling dreams always revolved around him.
By the SUV his wrist strap beeped although he had disengaged almost every sound alarm on it.
"Wow, that never beeps" said Ianto surprised.
"I was thinking the same thing" he answered seriously, there were just few options for that sound, and usually it meant something alarming. When a familiar face appeared before him he knew he was right, it was trouble.
"What could you be doing that is more important than me?" he said and Jack knew he hadn't changed, for him hadn't passed more than a hundred years like it did for Jack.
"Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope" he couldn't resist the end, reminding Jack of their dull times when they watched enough old and outdated movies for a life time. It was always a good joke between them.
"Don't follow me" he said and jumped in SUV already ahead, he was nervous, what did he want? Nothing harmless, that was for sure.
As he opened the bar doors his mind was empty, seeing that familiar face made him forget the years between, like there wasn't a gap that had changed him. He acted upon their rules, agreeing on a scenario and the music, tuning in his emotions, taking the pose. Western movies were always their favourite and Jack's counterpart did play the bad guy perfectly, because he was a bad guy, that left Jack with the good part, it suited his charms better anyway. They walked toward each other in the best showdown tradition and Jack felt tension rising. Moments after Jack found himself inches away from that familiar face, familiar scent and they both breathed heavily in anticipation for the next move because you could never tell what it would be. They clashed into each other, craving to devour the other, there was nothing gentle in that encounter, there never was anything like it, only passion that bordered with aggression, and of course there it was right after desire. Jack laughed lustfully after the first blow; he loved the rush and adrenalin, competition and the danger of real injury, because that was always there. He didn't notice the shattered glass, broken tables, nothing; it was like a violent dance their bodies knew so well.
"You're putting on weight" he started familiar banter as their guns were out.
"Losing your hair" Jack continued the game.
"What are you wearing?" he asked taking in at Jack's appearance.
"Captain Jack Harkness, note the stripes" Jack introduced his new self.
"Captain John Hart, note the sarcasm" he answered quickly.
Jack knew he made the persona up on the spot to match Jack's, with Time Agents you never knew real names and identities, not only because of the rules, but because everyone preferred it that way.
"I need a drink?" he finally asked when they both become weary.
"I thought you'd never ask" answered Jack sincerely although he hadn't drink for years; water had been his beverage of choice for decades now. His condition asked for caution, and alcohol didn't affect him like it used to.
Jack grabbed the bottle like it was a long forgotten friend and it was forgotten. The man now called John Hart poured the whole bottle inside him and Jack started to come back to his present self, the years between their last encounter came back, and his former partner seemed odd and misplaced and Jack discovered he didn't want him here, he didn't want his trouble and hazard, his ideas of fun.
"So how was rehab" asked Jack watching him and thinking about the last time they played good guy bad guy. After the trouble that his partner caused, Jack had played the bad guy and went rogue from the Time Agency, and his partner played the good one and blamed it all on his addiction earning himself treatment on the planet for rehab of strayed agents. After five years they were weary of each other and Jack was willing to do that last thing for him to get him out of his way.
"Rehabs. Plural" John said sheepishly.
"Drink, drugs, sex and..." Jack tried to count his big list of vices.
"And murder" he completed the list.
"You went to murder rehab" Jack couldn't believe absurdity of it all, even the Agency that had chosen them because their ability to go far and do the unthinkable decided that John had gone too far.
"Are you clean now" Jack asked thinking of the man on the pavement and the bottle in his hand, it was just like him to resist the state of the art methods from 51st century to get rid of addiction. The answer was a usual delusion he dwelled upon, and news that time did pass and the Time Agency shut down like everything does in time. He leaned in trying to pick up where they stopped and Jack put up his wall, this was the past and nothing he wanted back.
"I don't want you on my territory" Jack said relentlessly trying to protect the person he had build here for himself, he had gotten another chance and he wouldn't blow it away on an old lover that had already dragged him down on familiar path.
"What, time was you couldn't get enough of me on your territory" answered John as always accusing him for leaving. Then he pulled out his gun sharp as always he noticed shadows in the glass, his disobedient team, things hadn't changed here either.
He stood between them trying to diffuse situation, resigning to the fact that he was unable to keep the two parts of his life separate, the past that was his future and the future that was his past had collided. The life of a time traveller was never easy. He introduced them giving minimal amounts of information, hoping he would be able to get rid of John quickly.
"Captain John Hart" he introduced himself cutting off Jack, taking his opportunity to present him in a less glamorous persona.
"We go back" Jack tried to diminish their relationship trying to make him cooperate, but he would have none of that.
"We were partners" John said offended.
"In what way?" asked Ianto suspiciously instantly noticing the situation, he knew Jack too well. John wouldn't miss out such opportunity to brag.
"It was like having a wife" said John with disdain and Jack reacted on instinct falling into their old argument allowing John to get closer. Jack was mad and annoyed that he still fell into arguing with him like they were still an item. Jack asked him what he was really doing there, there had to be an angle, he wasn't the sentimental type that would come to see Jack; Jack would be always be a side attraction, lucky coincidence. As he spoke Jack moved away making a space between them, he didn't buy his story for a minute, for him it was impossible to be just a spectator of any situation, but Jack played along knowing John would cause him a world of trouble if he didn't. Jack moved in on him to make it clear that this is one time thing, and then he was gone.
"That means I get to see the house?" John turned on his charm trying to connect with Jack; he just glared at him, like he would fall for that fake innocence that would turn into malice in an instant. Having relationship with a man you couldn't turn your back to was tiring and demanding, it asked for a certain dose of adrenalin drain that Jack hadn't missed, he died often enough not to want an extra dose of pain.
John continued his parade of comments, disdain and critique that he thought was charming. Jack hadn't thought so, he found it irritating, like talking to a child, and they called Jack childish.
When they landed Ianto was there with a silver platter, where in hell did he get that, Jack wondered. He was brightened by the sight and jumped down turning his back to Ianto. He felt safe with him there.
"Weapons" Jack stopped John satisfied that Ianto gave him this elegant way of disarming him, if anything, Ianto knew how to spot trouble.
Of course there was endless supply of blades and guns, even a sword, all neatly hidden. Jack held a small gun with a white handle between two fingers, he knew where had that been, he carried one just like it, it did come in handy.
The team watched the parade of weapons with wonder, but Ianto remained impassive not giving away his inner thoughts. He wasn't the one to be easily impressed. Jack took weapon by weapon handing it down to Ianto. As he stood between two men that had been his lovers, one of which he hoped will continue to fill that task, he thought how different they are. Maybe that meant he was different. He doubted Ianto would have looked twice at the man that ran alongside with a weapon packed John. Truth to be told, that man would have given Ianto one night, not more, and he would have been the one to miss out.
Jack tried to be as neutral as possible but John scanned everyone connecting dots, he was too clever not to notice Ianto, he kept looking at him suspiciously.
As Tosh scanned the city and John leaned against her shoulder, Jack went towards the new board room. It was safe to leave Tosh with him, Owen and Ianto kept an eye on him. Gwen walked behind Jack trying to get a sense of the John situation; her guts spotted a liar in an instant. Jack talked about the possibility that John was telling the truth, no matter how small it was, he couldn't afford it. If anything John could have planted real bombs so his con worked more efficiently. She tried to find out more about his time with the Time Agent but he wasn't ready to talk about that, it was the lowest part of his life, and things he'd done then he would like to leave behind. Jack tried to explain himself to her, about the person he'd become, that he was no longer the person he used to be one which he wasn't proud of.
"Then why did you desert us" asked Gwen with that hidden sadness and guilt started to rise in Jack, he was always submissive to guilt. She saw that and insisted on further moving in a half a step looking him straight in the eye. Jack looked towards the exit wondering why he had let himself be cornered like that. He sighed. Then he remembered how she had come for him, how she told him to come home, and he did, he remembered her sorrow and her losses so he put down his shields and let her see the pain of the last year, and he even talked about it freely knowing she wouldn't really understand, but he wanted her to see the present, where they were now, to let go of his past.
"But after it was all over I knew I belonged here" and he did, he finally managed to fit into one time line. "What kept me fighting was a thought of coming home to you" he said sincerely, it was a powerful source to know he was wanted and accepted.
He grabbed her hand to let her know that he was there with her, and for her but there on her finger was a ring with a stone in it. Jack knew too well what the stone in the ring meant here on Earth.
"What is this?" he was too surprised to pretend he hadn't noticed.
"That's engagement ring, that is" she said with her big eyes.
"You're getting married?" he was baffled. Already, to whom?
"Well Rhys asked, when you were away" she said and left Jack stunned for a moment then he put up his shields smiling bitterly, Rhys was alive, that's why she was all powered up and moving, Rhys survived his death and Abbadon's fall. He regained himself asking the details about it, asking if he had done it right, because he should, women cared about that sort of thing.
"And you've said yes" he asked obviously trying to keep his emotions aligned, not to ruin this now just because he had missing time in which everything was different and information was outdated.
"Well no one else would have me" she diminished it in her Welsh manner all insecure.
"Good for you" he said and placed a kiss on her cheek lingering there for a moment. "We should get back to work."
In the board room John lifted his feet on the table dominating the place; Gwen took charge; Ianto rolled his eyes towards John not hiding his irritation with the man. Jack couldn't help but to be angry and annoyed with Gwen. He loved her, he really did, but she marched on like nothing had happen, like nothing had been lost. She walked around smiling and talking like she hadn't already gone. For Jack marrying meant only one thing. He would be kicked out sooner or later. Even his own daughter treated him that way, when she got married he was an obstacle, his companionship was too dangerous for her family and suddenly he wasn't family anymore, he became a stranger. She hated the fact he wasn't growing old, it annoyed her more than anyone, it was just against the nature of things and she preferred that questions weren't asked. He obeyed her and stayed away, but it hurt anyway. It was a gap and in some ways Gwen, with her acceptance of him, did fill it. But it was only a question of time now.
Even when her husband left his daughter she refused to let him back in. His encounters with his grandson were limited to short visits and divided by time. She feared Steven would notice his unchanging nature and the clock was ticking while she observed, any day now he would be banned once more. That hurt most because he knew too well that time was going by and they would be dead in a heartbeat.
Gwen continued like nothing happened, and nothing had changed, defying him like always, pushing her own way. She leaned forward matching his pose and contradicting him and he knew she would not yield. He suppressed his fears and expectations getting back to business. No matter what mask had John taken, or how sharp Gwen thought she was he was still very dangerous.
"Do not under any circumstances let him kiss you" he said not willing to explain whole poisonous lipstick thing; she would ask more details than he would like to disclose.
"As I would ever" she replied horrified but she didn't know John like he did.
"Did he get to the no kissing rule? He made that one up just to keep me all to himself" John echoed around the room and Jack was agitated by him.
Then it was time to move. An unexpected treat from Gwen repositioning search parties was that she put him with Ianto. He would have never done that himself. Whatever Gwen and John were up to he let it go, they were adults, and Jack wasn't even able to steer children in the way he wanted to. His ideas of education and free access to information for children weren't very well welcomed here.
Jack turned around knowing he would get used to Gwen's departure, and he would be glad for her, that she was able to keep her normal life in spite of Torchwood. That was one thing less to feel guilty about and he needed just a moment to align himself to the fact that she traded him for Rhys and won, Rhys survived thanks to his sacrifice and her betrayal. That wasn't something he would hold against her, she just loved him more than any of them; that's all, who was he to argue that? He just wouldn't take it personally, because it wasn't; Gwen cared for him, as he did for her. The only difference was that he just hadn't cared about anyone enough for whom he would endanger the world.