Torchwood: Divergence
Book Three: Rheoleiddiad
Chapter 16
After nearly a week of nothing but two phone calls a day, Captain Jack Harkness was missing his partner so much it was almost a physical ache. But Ianto had assured him he was well and would be home soon, saying that where one of the tasks he's set out to complete had been fairly simple, the other was proving more complicated. He'd also asked about tapping one of their joint bank accounts to buy a car… something he'd come across that they could use for purely personal trips, and that he thought the older man would like. The Captain had given him free rein to tap the accounts for whatever he wanted, and asked only that the planned vehicle have some guts and style.
The undying American was still wondering what the twenty-six-year-old had in mind as he racked the weapons the team had been using for the latest Rift spike a couple of hours earlier. They'd all been cleaned up and reloaded if necessary, something his partner normally did but that he'd taken on in his absence. The incursions lately had been few and far between. What was coming through however, tended to be big, dangerous, and very ill tempered. So, the heavier weaponry had been getting more playtime than usual. This morning for instance, they'd had to deal with another Arcturian Death Hound… without the advantage of Scieron swords to breach its super-tough hide. They'd been fortunate to come out of that abandoned warehouse near the docks without any serious injuries to the team. Especially considering it had taken almost two full hours with major firepower to put the damn beast down. Good thing it had been trapped in that old but sturdy building and not fully armoured for battle.
[Jack,] Lois' voice suddenly called in his ear, managing to startle him. [You have a VIP waiting in the private carpark.]
The smile he could hear in her voice was more than enough to tell him that his partner was finally home.
"On my way," Harkness grinned in reply, bolting out of the Armoury and across the Hub toward the cog-wheel door.
"Jack?" Martha called worriedly, but the Captain was already through the opening and in the lift.
His expression however, was more than eloquent and instantly put her mind at ease.
"What the hell was that?" Gwen asked from the doorway to the Hothouse.
"I believe that means Ianto's back," Turlough stated from his workstation before the team doctor could speak up, never having stopped the spectrum analysis he was running. "And I'd say the Captain is quite excited about it."
Up in the Torchwood carpark, Jack hurried out through the security door and stopped. Parked in direct line of sight near the SUV with a very welcome figure leaning against the driver's door, was a shiny black 2008 Jaguar XKR-Portfolio… sweet. But not what he was the most interested in at the moment. He strode over to the new car to face the greatcoat clad Changeling he'd been missing, put his arms around him and just held him tight.
Ianto returned the embrace with a contented sigh, felt his whole world snap back into clear focus when the older man drew away just enough to ruffle his recently trimmed hair and engage him in a very passionate kiss. When they finally parted, his lover captured his left hand, grabbed the overnight bag from its place by his feet, and started them toward the base entrance at a leisurely walk.
"So, Turlough fixed your license, but you don't have it on you," Harkness pointed out. "Did you drive like a granny so you wouldn't get pulled over?"
"Actually, I let Andy take a quick turn at high speed out past the heliport in exchange for a police escort," Ianto half-smiled, placing the keys to the car in the older immortal's trouser pocket. "I think he missed his calling as a Formula One driver."
"Please tell me that the incredibly cool car wasn't the only reason you were gone for almost a week," Jack laughed, always impressed by how inventive the young Welshman could be.
"Nope," the twenty-six-year-old chirped, the sparkle in his blue eyes indicating he was obviously bottling up some other surprise. "But that can wait till I have some coffee and unpack."
"You sound good and the surgical wounds have obviously healed," the Captain stated quietly. "You look tired though."
"Amazing how hard it is to sleep even a couple of hours when you're alone in a strange place," Ianto admitted with a nod. "Never used to be a problem. I'm so in the habit of spending my nights with you now though, I just couldn't drift off while I was gone. I'd find myself listening for your heartbeat all night."
"Right there with you," Jack confessed. "You know better than anyone that I don't do the real sleep thing very much, and it definitely wasn't happening without you beside me. I spent my nights listening, just like you… only I had the occasional Rift alert to distract me."
They wound their way down into the base, simply happy to be together again and both apparently in good health for a change. When the pair made it to the Hub, the rest of the team was waiting just past the vertically barred gate beyond the cog-wheel door. Ianto smiled and looked slightly embarrassed, murmuring that he needed to go hang up his coat. He slipped away briefly to pitch the reclaimed duffle on the bed and remove his long wool overcoat, then reappeared looking neat but tired in one of his best three-piece black pinstripes with a crimson silk shirt and perfectly knotted grey and black striped tie. Lois handed him a small steaming cup with an apologetic smile.
"It's Gran's mix," she explained. "I figured it might warm you up till you can make some proper coffee."
"It's perfect, thank you," the young Welshman smiled back, glancing somewhat nervously at the rest of the team. "I wasn't expecting a reception committee."
"Any excuse to take a break," Martha laughed. "Even if it's just a short one. You look so much better than the last time I saw you."
She came to give him a quick hug, then headed back for the medical area. Turlough smiled and nodded, offering a welcoming handshake instead.
"Glad to see I didn't do you any lasting damage," the redhead stated good naturedly.
"You did a fine job," Ianto reassured. "Everything was completely healed within forty-eight hours."
"Just don't say it too loudly," Turlough chuckled. "Martha's likely to draft me as the new medic, and go running back to UNIT screaming 'Freedom!' like a bad impression of Braveheart."
"Our lips are sealed," Jack promised with a laugh.
"Good to have you back," Lois called, heading for the door to return to the kiosk. "I'll be ordering lunch from the deli soon if you're interested."
The only team member left then was Gwen, and she approached their resident Scieron Guardian cautiously.
"Good holiday?" she asked with a half-smile, offering an embrace.
"Busy," Ianto replied pleasantly, allowing the one-time PC to hug him and returning the gesture one armed in the normal ginger fashion she remembered from most of their years working together.
But Cooper could hear his heartbeat accelerate where her ear was against his chest and felt a brief tremor in the hand on her back. She ended the embrace quickly but smoothly, gave him a sad smile and a couple feet of space.
"So, you weren't just wandering Cardiff to make Jack sweat then?" the green-eyed brunette prodded, hoping for details.
"He bought a car," Harkness offered, noticing the tension between the two. "I've always wanted a Jag."
"A 2008 model, single previous owner, 130 kilometres logged, spent most of its time under cover in said owner's carport," Ianto explained with a tiny smirk. "Belonged to her late husband and she was selling it for a mere £2,000.00 so she could use the port for her posh new Mercedes."
"Lucky sod," Gwen gaped, thinking that Rhys would give his right arm for that kind of deal. "How'd you come by it?"
"We did some other business and she took a liking to me," the suit clad Changeling shrugged, sipping the hot drink Lois had given him. "Let me go get the coffee going so I can unpack."
So, he wasn't ready to share his five-day adventure just yet. Frustrated, Cooper returned to her workstation as he headed for the kitchenette. Jack cruised behind the woman on his way to the stairs, gave her a quick pat on the shoulder.
"Patience," the American murmured, then continued on after his partner.
Gwen huffed and frowned. Things were supposed to have gone back to normal once Ianto got back from his mysterious time away, but that obviously wasn't the case. Thinking that perhaps the young Guardian had come back too soon, she broodingly returned to the research she'd been doing and hoped for another Rift alert.
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AN: Ianto has returned, and the cool car isn't the only surprise he has for Jack. Too bad Gwen can't stop being a cow…
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