TW-DW Fic: The Return Of Ianto Jones
Title: The Return Of Ianto Jones
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Eleventh Doctor.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: CoE.
Summary: When the 456 came for earth’s children, Ianto Jones gave his life in a vain attempt at stopping them. That should have been the end of his story. It wasn’t.
Word Count: 1515
Written For: Prompt 041 - Resurrection at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
Ianto Jones, just twenty-six years old, was dying on the floor of a room in Thames House, London, as a result of an unfeasibly fast-acting alien virus, or more likely some kind of poison or toxin released into the air.
He was sort of okay with it, the majority of Torchwood agents led short but interesting lives, and his had certainly been crammed full of excitement and adventure. Nevertheless, given a choice he would have preferred a more meaningful end. Sacrificing your life to save the world was a far nobler fate than snuffing it while failing to save anyone; all things considered, his death was proving a bit of an anti-climax.
Then there was Jack. Ianto hated the thought of leaving the man he loved to carry on alone. Who would be there for him when he came back to life this time? Because Ianto knew Jack would survive this, just as he survived everything else that was thrown at him. Death had no hold on the immortal Captain, but that didn’t mean his many deaths were without suffering, and his resurrections tended to be just as painful. Jack needed someone beside him when he revived to comfort and ground him as he battled his way through the inevitable disorientation of coming back to life.
Ianto couldn’t say he was enjoying the dying part either. He’d known death would be unpleasant, it bloody well hurt, which was no surprise, but the worst part was the lack of dignity, lying on the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. He wasn’t even properly dressed, and annoyingly he couldn’t remember where he’d left his jacket. Not that he’d need it where he was going, so maybe it didn’t matter. Oh well, there was some consolation in knowing it would all soon be over, his suffering at an end.
This would probably be a good time for some final words, while he still had enough breath left to speak. He’d envisioned saying something noble, brave, and poignant, but now the time had come, he was drawing a blank. All he could come up with was a rather inane plea for reassurance that the last few years of his life hadn’t been wasted.
“It was good, yeah?”
He hoped Jack would agree, because it really had been. He would have liked more time, but he supposed most dying people felt the same way. At least he got one last kiss from Jack, even if he couldn’t really feel it. His lips were sort of numb, and so was the rest of him, but he could imagine the soft pressure and the warmth, the familiar scent and taste of Jack. It was nice. When it came right down to it, there were worse ways to bow out than in the arms of the man he loved with all his heart.
‘Bye, Jack,’ he thought to himself. ‘Sorry about this. I’d stay if I could.’
Then everything went black and…
…he woke up.
Now that was something he hadn’t been expecting. Jack had always told him there was nothing beyond death, only endless black nothingness; Owen and Suzie had said the same. But Ianto knew he’d died, he’d felt every excruciating moment of it, so perhaps they’d never been dead long enough or completely enough to find out what was beyond all the nothing.
It was quite bright, and comfortably warm without being too hot, so apparently he hadn’t been consigned to the fiery pits of Hell, as he might have half expected. Perhaps the good he’d done in his short life had outweighed the bad; he could only hope that was the case. Or perhaps he was in some sort of limbo in between life and death, waiting to be judged and sent wherever he was to spend the rest of eternity. That was a less pleasant thought, but something he could accept.
“Ah, good, you’re awake!” a cheerful voice said.
Ianto couldn’t see anyone.
“Um, hello? Am I in Heaven?”
Well really, what was he supposed to ask?
“Heaven? Oh, no no no, this isn’t Heaven. Although, I suppose it depends on your perspective. You’re in my TARDIS.”
“TARDIS?” That word was familiar. Ianto dragged a few more of his errant brain cells together, just enough for a bit of very basic deductive reasoning. He used to be good at that when he was alive. “You’re the Doctor?”
“Yes! You’ve heard of me, have you? Wait, stupid question, of course you have. We’ve met! Well, sort of. Back when the earth was moved. Not face to face of course, and not this face anyway, that was the me before.”
Ianto did what he could to sift through the Doctor’s confusing monologue, trying to make sense of it. Ah! The penny dropped. “You mean you’ve regenerated.”
“Yes, exactly! Well done!” The Doctor stepped into Ianto’s field of vision, all tweed jacket and bowtie, beaming with delight. “Jack told me you were clever. Oh, hold on, you are Ianto Jones, aren’t you? Wouldn’t do for me to get the wrong one. There were a lot to choose from, but you looked sort of familiar. A bit on the pale side, which I suppose is understandable…”
“Yes, I’m Ianto Jones,” Ianto cut in quickly to shut him up. Jack had never mentioned how much the Doctor rambled on. Didn’t he ever pause for breath? Speaking of Jack… “Is he here?”
“He? Oh, you mean Jack? No, sorry, he’s still on earth. He’s got things to do. That whole awful business with the children…”
“I remember, I was there.” Everything was coming back to Ianto now. “That’s how I died, trying to stop the government handing defenceless children to aliens who wanted to use them as drugs.” He frowned at the Time Lord. “About that, why weren’t you there to help us? Isn’t that what you do? Protect the earth from aliens?”
“Yes, when I can, but this time… It’s a fixed point, it all had to happen just the way it did. I’m sorry. I was there though, keeping an eye on things, making sure it all happened the way it needed to. I couldn’t interfere. It was important that the people of earth understand they’re not alone in the universe. The threat to the children was the first step towards humanity banding together as one people, united in defence of their world.”
Agitated, Ianto sat up, only then realising he was still lying on the floor, it just wasn’t the same floor as the one he’d died on. “But they didn’t unite! The governments were going to give up the children!”
“Exactly! The governments were, but the people, the parents… they’re the ones who’ll make the changes. A lot of governments are set to be overthrown in the coming months. It’ll be messy, but change is coming, thanks to you and Jack taking a stand.”
Ianto flopped back onto the floor. “We failed though.”
“Well, yes and no. The direct approach didn’t work but the 456 were still defeated in the end. Jack found a way, but the price was…” The Doctor’s smile faded. “The price was something no one should have had to pay, and I wish there’d been something I could do, but if I’d interfered…” He shook his head. “One life for millions, there was no other possible choice. That’s why I rescued you, switched your body for a cloned duplicate. Jack’s going to need someone, and you seemed like the best choice. Was I wrong?”
“No, you were right.” Ianto pushed himself upright again, a fiercely determined expression on his face. “I’ll do whatever I can to help Jack.”
“That’s what I thought. He thinks a lot of you, does Jack. I’m beginning to see why.”
“So what do I do? How do I find him?”
“First I have to put you on a spaceship; it’s going to be picking Jack up a few months from now. When he comes aboard, you’ll be waiting for him. Don’t worry I’ve already transmitted a message to his vortex manipulator set to activate when the two of you meet; it’ll explain everything. There’s just one thing; you can never return to earth.”
Ianto shrugged, surprised to realise that hurt less than he would have expected. “Without Jack there’s not much there for me anyway. I imagine by now everyone thinks I’m dead. Besides, Jack always promised one day he’d show me the universe.”
“I must say you’re taking this very well.”
“I am, aren’t I?” Ianto managed a wry smile. “Dying changes your perspective.”
“Yes, I imagine it would.” The Doctor clapped his hands together. “Excellent! Let’s be off then; we have a rendezvous to make with a cold fusion cruiser.” Turning to the central console, the Doctor started pressing buttons and pulling levers. Ianto, who’d been just getting to his feet, fell over again as the TARDIS lurched.
He sighed; floors were becoming a bad habit. Still, maybe he should remain seated until they reached their destination. He’d already died once today; best not to tempt fate.
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Eleventh Doctor.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: CoE.
Summary: When the 456 came for earth’s children, Ianto Jones gave his life in a vain attempt at stopping them. That should have been the end of his story. It wasn’t.
Word Count: 1515
Written For: Prompt 041 - Resurrection at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.
Ianto Jones, just twenty-six years old, was dying on the floor of a room in Thames House, London, as a result of an unfeasibly fast-acting alien virus, or more likely some kind of poison or toxin released into the air.
He was sort of okay with it, the majority of Torchwood agents led short but interesting lives, and his had certainly been crammed full of excitement and adventure. Nevertheless, given a choice he would have preferred a more meaningful end. Sacrificing your life to save the world was a far nobler fate than snuffing it while failing to save anyone; all things considered, his death was proving a bit of an anti-climax.
Then there was Jack. Ianto hated the thought of leaving the man he loved to carry on alone. Who would be there for him when he came back to life this time? Because Ianto knew Jack would survive this, just as he survived everything else that was thrown at him. Death had no hold on the immortal Captain, but that didn’t mean his many deaths were without suffering, and his resurrections tended to be just as painful. Jack needed someone beside him when he revived to comfort and ground him as he battled his way through the inevitable disorientation of coming back to life.
Ianto couldn’t say he was enjoying the dying part either. He’d known death would be unpleasant, it bloody well hurt, which was no surprise, but the worst part was the lack of dignity, lying on the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. He wasn’t even properly dressed, and annoyingly he couldn’t remember where he’d left his jacket. Not that he’d need it where he was going, so maybe it didn’t matter. Oh well, there was some consolation in knowing it would all soon be over, his suffering at an end.
This would probably be a good time for some final words, while he still had enough breath left to speak. He’d envisioned saying something noble, brave, and poignant, but now the time had come, he was drawing a blank. All he could come up with was a rather inane plea for reassurance that the last few years of his life hadn’t been wasted.
“It was good, yeah?”
He hoped Jack would agree, because it really had been. He would have liked more time, but he supposed most dying people felt the same way. At least he got one last kiss from Jack, even if he couldn’t really feel it. His lips were sort of numb, and so was the rest of him, but he could imagine the soft pressure and the warmth, the familiar scent and taste of Jack. It was nice. When it came right down to it, there were worse ways to bow out than in the arms of the man he loved with all his heart.
‘Bye, Jack,’ he thought to himself. ‘Sorry about this. I’d stay if I could.’
Then everything went black and…
…he woke up.
Now that was something he hadn’t been expecting. Jack had always told him there was nothing beyond death, only endless black nothingness; Owen and Suzie had said the same. But Ianto knew he’d died, he’d felt every excruciating moment of it, so perhaps they’d never been dead long enough or completely enough to find out what was beyond all the nothing.
It was quite bright, and comfortably warm without being too hot, so apparently he hadn’t been consigned to the fiery pits of Hell, as he might have half expected. Perhaps the good he’d done in his short life had outweighed the bad; he could only hope that was the case. Or perhaps he was in some sort of limbo in between life and death, waiting to be judged and sent wherever he was to spend the rest of eternity. That was a less pleasant thought, but something he could accept.
“Ah, good, you’re awake!” a cheerful voice said.
Ianto couldn’t see anyone.
“Um, hello? Am I in Heaven?”
Well really, what was he supposed to ask?
“Heaven? Oh, no no no, this isn’t Heaven. Although, I suppose it depends on your perspective. You’re in my TARDIS.”
“TARDIS?” That word was familiar. Ianto dragged a few more of his errant brain cells together, just enough for a bit of very basic deductive reasoning. He used to be good at that when he was alive. “You’re the Doctor?”
“Yes! You’ve heard of me, have you? Wait, stupid question, of course you have. We’ve met! Well, sort of. Back when the earth was moved. Not face to face of course, and not this face anyway, that was the me before.”
Ianto did what he could to sift through the Doctor’s confusing monologue, trying to make sense of it. Ah! The penny dropped. “You mean you’ve regenerated.”
“Yes, exactly! Well done!” The Doctor stepped into Ianto’s field of vision, all tweed jacket and bowtie, beaming with delight. “Jack told me you were clever. Oh, hold on, you are Ianto Jones, aren’t you? Wouldn’t do for me to get the wrong one. There were a lot to choose from, but you looked sort of familiar. A bit on the pale side, which I suppose is understandable…”
“Yes, I’m Ianto Jones,” Ianto cut in quickly to shut him up. Jack had never mentioned how much the Doctor rambled on. Didn’t he ever pause for breath? Speaking of Jack… “Is he here?”
“He? Oh, you mean Jack? No, sorry, he’s still on earth. He’s got things to do. That whole awful business with the children…”
“I remember, I was there.” Everything was coming back to Ianto now. “That’s how I died, trying to stop the government handing defenceless children to aliens who wanted to use them as drugs.” He frowned at the Time Lord. “About that, why weren’t you there to help us? Isn’t that what you do? Protect the earth from aliens?”
“Yes, when I can, but this time… It’s a fixed point, it all had to happen just the way it did. I’m sorry. I was there though, keeping an eye on things, making sure it all happened the way it needed to. I couldn’t interfere. It was important that the people of earth understand they’re not alone in the universe. The threat to the children was the first step towards humanity banding together as one people, united in defence of their world.”
Agitated, Ianto sat up, only then realising he was still lying on the floor, it just wasn’t the same floor as the one he’d died on. “But they didn’t unite! The governments were going to give up the children!”
“Exactly! The governments were, but the people, the parents… they’re the ones who’ll make the changes. A lot of governments are set to be overthrown in the coming months. It’ll be messy, but change is coming, thanks to you and Jack taking a stand.”
Ianto flopped back onto the floor. “We failed though.”
“Well, yes and no. The direct approach didn’t work but the 456 were still defeated in the end. Jack found a way, but the price was…” The Doctor’s smile faded. “The price was something no one should have had to pay, and I wish there’d been something I could do, but if I’d interfered…” He shook his head. “One life for millions, there was no other possible choice. That’s why I rescued you, switched your body for a cloned duplicate. Jack’s going to need someone, and you seemed like the best choice. Was I wrong?”
“No, you were right.” Ianto pushed himself upright again, a fiercely determined expression on his face. “I’ll do whatever I can to help Jack.”
“That’s what I thought. He thinks a lot of you, does Jack. I’m beginning to see why.”
“So what do I do? How do I find him?”
“First I have to put you on a spaceship; it’s going to be picking Jack up a few months from now. When he comes aboard, you’ll be waiting for him. Don’t worry I’ve already transmitted a message to his vortex manipulator set to activate when the two of you meet; it’ll explain everything. There’s just one thing; you can never return to earth.”
Ianto shrugged, surprised to realise that hurt less than he would have expected. “Without Jack there’s not much there for me anyway. I imagine by now everyone thinks I’m dead. Besides, Jack always promised one day he’d show me the universe.”
“I must say you’re taking this very well.”
“I am, aren’t I?” Ianto managed a wry smile. “Dying changes your perspective.”
“Yes, I imagine it would.” The Doctor clapped his hands together. “Excellent! Let’s be off then; we have a rendezvous to make with a cold fusion cruiser.” Turning to the central console, the Doctor started pressing buttons and pulling levers. Ianto, who’d been just getting to his feet, fell over again as the TARDIS lurched.
He sighed; floors were becoming a bad habit. Still, maybe he should remain seated until they reached their destination. He’d already died once today; best not to tempt fate.
The End