It was a cold winter's day in Cardiff. The sky was overcast, and it never seemed to get light outside.
Christmas Eve was just around the corner, but the holiday spirit was merely a concept at this point. All of the fun the Torchwood team had decorating the hub for the festive season seemed like a distant memory. Too much had happened since then.
The rift had opened, sending them not some random gift from the galaxy's far reaches, but three ordinary people from the past. And there was no way to send them back.
Ianto Jones didn't even have much contact with their guests from the 1950s other than babysitting them while they went shopping. But their presence had cut deep into their daily routines. He and Tosh had held the fort while the others tried to settle their visitors into their new lives.
As a result, Ianto was caught off guard when he discovered his car missing. Why would John Ellis feel the need to steal a car? He could have just asked, and he would have driven him anywhere he wanted.
Ianto looked out the window. Houses passed by until the taxi stopped in front of an abandoned building.
"We're here," the gruff taxi driver announced. A happy Christmas tune was playing on the radio.
"Are you sure?" Ianto asked, staring at the building from the backseat.
"14 Park Place. The address you gave me. Five pounds sixty," the man said, looking back.
Ianto took out his wallet and gave the driver his money. Then he opened the door and stepped out of the black cab.
The wind blew through the street, and Ianto pulled his coat tighter around him. It was an unpleasant day in every way.
Ianto looked up at the building and its shuttered windows. Nobody had lived here for a long time.
But it was the address Jack had given him, the house where John Ellis' son used to live. Ianto spotted the SUV parked further down the road. There was no sign of Jack.
Ianto tried the front door of the house, but it was locked. Not really a surprise.
He searched his pockets until he found his lock-picking kit. With a few quick moves, the door swung open. He quickly slipped inside. No need for anyone to suspect him of trying to break in. Which, technically, he had.
The house was still fully furnished. Sparsely covered with sheets and layers of dust everywhere. Ianto wondered why no one had bought the property. Then he remembered all the 'to let' signs around the neighbourhood. The market was down, and the area had a reputation. It was probably not at the top of the marketing list.
"Jack?" Ianto whispered, but no one answered. Then he cleared his throat and asked again, this time louder. "Jack, are you here?"
Still nothing.
If John Ellis had come here, where was the car? Ianto hadn't seen his Audi outside. There was only the SUV on the side of the road. Maybe Jack didn't find him here after all and went somewhere else? He rechecked his phone. No, it sounded like Jack found him here. The message said: "14th Park Place. Please come and get me. I need your help."
Ianto quickly searched the house but came away none the wiser. There was no one here.
Back on the ground floor, he noticed a door in the back he had missed before. The door to the garage.
Of course.
As he opened the door, the sharp smell of car exhaust burned his nostrils and made his eyes sting. He coughed.
"Jack?" he called again.
He entered the smokey garage, covering his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his coat. There, he found his car and immediately noticed the outline of someone sitting in the driver's seat. He hurried over and yanked open the door.
John Ellis was sitting motionless in the driver's seat with his eyes closed. Ianto searched for a pulse but couldn't find one.
"John?" he asked, shaking the lifeless body. He pried open one of the closed eyes and stared at the motionless pupils. He wasn't a doctor like Owen, but it was obvious the man before him was dead.
Ianto felt his throat tighten and tears well up in his eyes as he realised John Ellis had taken his own life.
"You're too late, he's dead."
Ianto's eyes snapped up at the sound of Jack's voice. Where was he? When he looked around inside the car, his gaze fell on the ajar door of the passenger seat.
"Jack?"
With a few quick steps, he circled the car and found him sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of the Audi, his legs pulled close. He stared apathetically ahead.
Ianto crouched down and placed his hand on Jack's knee.
"Are you alright, sir?" he asked. It was a stupid question since it was obvious that he was not alright. But he didn't know what else to say.
Jack slowly turned his head, looking at him with empty eyes.
"I couldn't stop him," he said weakly, his voice raw from the exhaust fumes.
"It's okay," Ianto tried to reassure him.
"No," Jack whispered in despair. "You don't understand. I couldn't stop him, so I helped. I helped him die."
Ianto froze at the words but forced himself to not pull his hand away, which still lingered on Jack's knee. Instead, he gave him a reassuring squeeze.
"Want to tell me about it?" he offered.
For a while, Jack said nothing, but then he started talking.
"I found him here, trying to kill himself. I intervened, begging him not to do it. He was still young. Enough time to start a new life... but he didn't see it that way."
Jack sighed.
"It was his choice. He told me straight in the face he would kill himself. If not now, then later. I thought... I hoped..."
Jack looked at him as his voice faltered. The tears had dried some time ago, but his eyes were still red.
"You chose to stay with him, didn't you? To make sure he wouldn't be alone in his final moments?" Ianto asked quietly.
"What? No. I would be dead then, wouldn't I?" Jack blustered.
Ianto reached out and flapped the collar of Jack's coat.
"You're coat reeks of car fumes. That doesn't happen when you stand outside the car and watch someone die," Ianto said flatly. "You sat inside and kept him company while he died."
Jack pushed his hand away, looking uncomfortable.
There was an awkward silence between them.
"So, you know? How?" Jack finally asked. Nobody but Gwen was supposed to know about his little gift of immortality.
"Torchwood One, remember? Quite an open secret there, really."
Yvonne Hartman had told him about Jack's longevity, but it didn't seem appropriate to bring it up right now.
Jack sighed. "You never said anything."
"You never asked."
That brought a faint smile to Jack's face. It flickered away quickly.
Another long silence.
"So, you really can't die?" Ianto asked shyly.
"I can. I do. But I come back."
"Always?"
"Looks like."
"Okay." Ianto knew it was the wrong time to ask the many questions racing through his mind. Answers would have to wait until another time.
"I begged him not to. I hoped I could convince him there was still so much to live for." Jack returned to talking about John. "But then he told me to my face that he would try again as soon as I was gone. I could see it in his eyes. I could hear it in his voice. There was nothing I could say to change his mind," Jack sighed shakily, trying to keep his composure. In a low voice, he added: "Some people are just not made for this world."
Tears forced their way back into Jack's eyes. He tried in vain to blink them away.
"It was his choice. His decision. How could I deny him that?" he sobbed bitterly, a tear running down his face. "How can I deny him a choice I will never have? It's such a precious gift."
"Oh, Jack..."
Jack looked at Ianto in despair as he fought for his composure, wiping away the tears with the palm of his hand. "You're so young; you don't understand. How could you."
Ianto's eyes had become sombre, suddenly looking much older than he was.
The sound of blades and the smell of blood came rushing back instantly. Drowned out by gunshots and even more blood on his hands, sitting next to the remains of what used to be the love of his life.
"I understand."
Jack gave him a sharp look, fear in his eyes.
"After Lisa? After the cannibals? I've been thinking about it…"
Jack's eyes grew wider. He realised he had underestimated Ianto's pain.
"What changed your mind?"
Ianto studied the paintwork on his car behind Jack, trying to think of something to say.
"I was too scared," he finally admitted sheepishly. Then he focused his eyes back on Jack and reached for his hand. It was icy cold. "But now, I'm glad I was," he said.
Jack nodded. "Things do get better, even when it seems impossible."
They locked eyes for a moment before Ianto's eyes flickered away. Back to the open door of his car.
"I'll bring you back to the hub for a cup of coffee and a bowl of hot soup," he said with determination.
Jack's cold hand was only gradually warming to his touch.
"We have to clean up here," Jack intervened, not caring about his well-being.
Ianto shook his head. "Not we - I. I'm gonna ask the others to help me. You don't have to come back here."
"No," Jack said, his voice urgent. "Nobody can know what happened here. Nobody."
Ianto nodded thoughtfully. "Okay."
It would require some extra work to keep the others in the dark. The cover story needed to be exceptionally good, so Tosh wouldn't become suspicious.
"Then I'll do it on my own. You're still going back to the hub." The decision was not optional.
Jack realised that Ianto had made up his mind, so he didn't try to argue any longer. Or he was just too exhausted to keep trying. He placed his other hand on Ianto's, squeezing it back.
They sat in the cold garage for a few moments longer.
"And get rid of the car..." Jack finally said as Ianto was about to get up.
"Nah, I'll just get it cleaned," Ianto said, already thinking about a car wash that would do the job without asking too many questions.
"Get rid of the car. I'll buy you a new one," Jack's voice had grown hard. It hadn't been a suggestion.
Ianto gave him a thoughtful look and then nodded.
"Okay." He understood.
Now Ianto stood up and extended his hand to help Jack up as well. He gratefully accepted. When he finally stood and swayed, Ianto wrapped his arm around his waist to keep him steady. He felt Jack tremble beneath the heavy greatcoat.
"Let's go back to the hub."
Jack nodded. "Ianto?"
"Yes,sir?"
"Thank you."
- fin -