Sex, Lies and CCTV - 10/12
Title: Sex, Lies and CCTV - 10/12
Rating: NC17 for whole thing. (Varies throughout but generally language and slash.)
Warnings/Spoilers: Slash, Language, Violence.
Characters: Torchwood - so Gwen but Jack/Ianto Focus.
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or its characters.
Summary: Ianto returns from the hospital and has to start dealing with the fall out. Jack and Ianto realise they have a lot more common than they first thought.
A/N: This is dialogue heavy and Ianto’s background heavy, with a lot Janto angst and a bit of kissing because you have to have a bit of kissing. I swear I planned and wrote this storyline weeks before Mr.Barrowman expressed a similar sentiment at Comic Con. Oh yeah - and I apologise for my total Ianto hand fetish that appears to be working its way into everywhere…
PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6 ( Bonus Missing Scene) PART 7 PART 8 PART 9
Gwen leant back in her chair and watched Jack pace.
‘You know he’s just coming back…’
‘I know.’
Jack ran his hand through his hair and returned to pacing nervously.
‘So there is no need to be so nervous.’ Gwen added matter of factly.
‘I know.’
‘So why are you pacing?’
‘Because he’s coming back,’ Jack stated obviously, looking at her wildly as he paced faster, ‘and I don’t know what to say. And I don’t know what he’s going to say.’
Gwen swung on her chair and let him pace for a few more minutes before pursing her lips and catching his eye.
‘Are you happy he’s coming back?’
Jack frowned, ‘of course.’
‘Is this going to affect your relationship?’
He stopped pacing and leant against the station opposite her, his head bowed.
‘Jack?’
‘Gwen I - I,’ his voice cracked and he looked across at her, ‘I had to scrub his blood off my skin...I don’t think I can do this.’
‘Do what?’
‘I shouldn’t be this involved. I can’t be.’
‘Well you are. And you can’t just stop those feelings Jack. So you have to decide, tell him and keep him or don’t and lose him. It’s your choice’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Well. You’ll decide when it comes to it,’ Gwen sighed, smiling softly at him, ‘you’re in love. You’re not supposed to know anything.’
Jack raised his eyebrows hopefully, ‘really?’
‘Yep,’ she replied, crossing her legs and looking up at him, ‘makes you stupid.’
‘I’m not stupid.’
Jack mock scowled before he looked at her confusedly, ‘and when did you become so cynical?’
‘About the time Ianto became so secretive,’ she mused and pointed at him, ‘and you became so stupid.’
‘I’m going to my office.’
He left Gwen looking at reports that needed to be filled in and closed the door while he waited.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ianto’s fingers fumbled with the keys to the tourist office and he stopped, taking a deep breath and trying to control his rising anxiety. He had to do this, going back to work and facing up to his mistakes was what he had to do. In a new suit. Again. He walked in and looked round, everything was untouched and the air was dusty, no one had been up here since he had been gone. He rested his hand on his torso, his pain medication was wearing off, he would have to remember to take some more he thought as he reached the door to the Hub and walked inside.
‘Hello love.’
Gwen looked up from her station where she was typing reports with a bored expression. She stood up and walked over to him, glancing over his injuries quickly she took in the bruised jaw line and light yellowing of his black eye as she kissed him carefully on the cheek. His hands were still scarred but healing and under his shirt he was an injured spectrum as his body attempted to heal quickly. Jack had slipped him some classified Torchwood medication and Ianto hadn’t asked questions, he was in too much pain.
‘Hi.’
He smiled at her and she looked right through it.
‘Okay?’
‘Yep. Just a few bruises and stuff.’
Gwen looked sceptical and frowned.
‘Still taking pain meds?’
‘Yeah, they’re just wearing off. I’ll take some more.’
‘Going to explain what happened?’
She continued to stare at him and he looked away, sitting down carefully and watching her join him. He turned and looked her in the eyes.
‘You already know. I’m guessing you got it out of Patrick?’
She nodded, ‘his version.’
‘Same version,’ Ianto replied and could tell it wasn’t what Gwen wanted to hear, ‘can I tell you about it after I’ve spoken to Jack?’
‘Guess so. Good luck.’
Ianto took her hand gratefully and bowed his head, ‘how is he?’
‘How has he been at the hospital?’ Gwen replied, playing with his fingers and tracing raw skin healing at the edges.
‘Distant.’
‘Jack then?’
‘Yeah.’
‘So go close the distance,’ she turned his face gently and looked at him, ‘you’re already nearer than you think.’
She stood up and walked over to her station, picking her coat up and smiling back at him as she exited through the Cog door and waved behind her. Ianto stood up awkwardly and took a deep breath looking warily up at Jack’s office.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
‘Hello.’
Jack was sitting behind his desk and staring at Ianto as he stood in the door frame and didn’t walk in.
‘Hi.’
‘How are you?’
Ianto sighed and decided he wasn’t going to beat round the bush like he normally did with Jack, games and all, they needed to actually talk and he needed to actually apologise this time.
‘I’m fine.’
He walked in and sat opposite him, biting the inside of his cheek against the pain in his ribs and reaching over to still Jack’s hand as it fiddled with reports.
‘I’m sorry. This wasn’t meant to happen.’
Jack took his hand away and stood up, pacing as Ianto watched him.
‘Your past always comes back to haunt you Ianto. If I’ve learnt one thing, it’s that.’
‘I know,’ Ianto agreed, his voice small as he looked down at his hands, ‘I just…I thought I’d been haunted enough for one lifetime.’
Jack stopped pacing and crossed his arms.
‘Why did you lie to me again?’
‘I didn’t.’ Ianto shook his head and looked up at him, ‘you not knowing something, isn’t the same as me lying to you Jack.’
‘I asked you though - I said!’ Jack was shouting now, ‘is there anything else you aren’t telling me? You said no!’
‘Pot kettle black Jack!’ Ianto shouted back standing up and facing him, ‘this was years ago. In the past. I was a different person. There have been enough reincarnations of you! I’ve asked about them all and have you told me everything you used to be? No. You of all people should understand this.’
Jack’s jaw clenched and he spoke quietly and forcefully.
‘And yet I don’t. I just feel like you hid yourself from me again when I thought you were more than that. So make me understand. Make me believe in you again. Please.’
Ianto sighed and took his jacket off slowly.
‘I could,’ he agreed, ‘I was a conman. That’s what I did. I made people believe in me. Made them believe in something, anything. I conned you once, I already made you believe, I let you believe Lisa was dead, I let you believe I was a “drifter”. So I can’t make you believe me now, because that isn’t me anymore. You have to want to believe me when I say you can trust me. You have to decide if you can. Decide if you want me. I can’t con you into it again.’
‘I wish you could,’ Jack replied softly, staring at Ianto and breathing in sharply, ‘tell me what happened.’
Ianto looked at the desk for a few long seconds before taking another deep breath and looking over at him.
‘My mam died. It broke my dad, the business was run into the ground, the house went to shit and he ran off with a girl. So I left. Went to stay with family in Bath, made friends, went to live with them, stumbled into a relationship. I lived with him for a year, we pulled tricks, grifting, having fun. I had no money other than what I made - conning appealed.’
He shifted and tried to find a position that caused slightly less pain as he continued explaining, ‘playing a part, creating a character, living a fantasy life. Easy money. After a year with him I was getting bored, we argued, he wanted me to settle down but I didn’t want that. So I saved some money and left, picked a target and decided to play the long game, do a big con, get more money.’
‘Are we getting to Patrick?’ Jack sat down and Ianto mirrored him, leaning his forearms on the desk as he explained.
‘Yes. Jessica - his wife. She was rich, beautiful, smart and…rich. Really rich. Perfect mark. By that time I wanted a challenge, she was in love, perfect life, I wanted - I needed - to win her. I couldn’t help myself. I played her for a year. Made her believe I was in love with her and she fell for me. We had an affair and I stole her away. Made plans to set up with her and when it came to it I faked my own death - I had a lot of…contacts…to help,’ Ianto added, shifting again and wincing at the pain but carrying on regardless as Jack’s eyes flashed with concern.
‘I rigged the electrics and burnt down the flat but not before I took the money we were using for our new life. Cash. Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds. Set me up. She thought the money was burnt and I was dead. Still does as far as I know.’ He stopped before looking across at him again, ‘the best con is -‘
‘when you don’t know you’ve been conned.’ Jack finished for him and Ianto stared back.
‘Yeah,’ he frowned for a second before shaking it off, ‘I was a bad person. I ruined his life, hers as well. And I am sorry.’
Jack tilted his head to the side and considered him curiously.
‘We aren’t so different,’ Jack shook his head slowly thinking out loud, ‘the Universe really does move in the most mysterious ways…I was a bad person too.’
Ianto stared at him and he continued, ‘I used to be conman. And I nearly ended the world once with a spectacularly bad con -‘ Ianto’s eyes were wide and Jack carried on quickly, ‘that’s when I met the Doctor and he made me better, showed me a better way to live.’
They stared at each other and Ianto swallowed.
‘Lisa did that with me. I moved to London after Jessica and she was my next con, her family is worth a fortune. But I actually fell in love and abandoned it, went to work at Torchwood to be with her and changed my life. She was the first person to save me. Did the Doctor save you?’
‘Yes.’ Jack nodded his head, ‘he did it because he saves the day, can’t help it, its in his…chemistry. He changes people if they are willing to be changed, he made me a better man, but I wanted to be good. It doesn’t always happen that way.’
Jack thought back to the Master and mentally shook himself as Ianto took his hand again.
‘Jack, I’m not that person anymore. Lisa did that for me, you did that for me. I wanted more and you were the only other person to save me. This is just -‘
‘your past.’ Jack finished and Ianto nodded.
‘Yes.’
‘I knew you conned me,’ Jack said quickly, ‘I just didn’t realise you had made a profession of it before hand.’
‘I stopped, when I fell in love with Lisa.’
Jack stared at him and raised his eyebrows knowingly, ‘until me.’
‘That was…different. I had a reason it was about survival not money.’
‘It’s always about money. You needed to save Lisa and you needed a job.’
‘No. I saved most of the cash from Jessica. And Torchwood paid compensation for my…inconvenience.’
‘Inconvenience? Fucking hell.’
Jack shook his head and Ianto tried hard to stop the waves of pain in his head and continue the conversation.
‘I have a lot of money.’
Jack suddenly looked at him seriously, ‘and a lot of secrets.’
‘Jack.’
‘Anything else you want to tell me?’
‘No,’ Ianto replied softly and rubbed his head with hand, ‘but do you even trust that?’
Jack stared at him and ignored the question, sitting up straighter and gesturing to the CCTV of the vaults.
‘Patrick is still in the cells. We need to decide what to do with him. You need to decide.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘You can’t let him go Ianto. He’ll kill you.’
Ianto sat quietly and listened, ‘I should go and talk to him.’
Jack shrugged, ‘it’s up to you.’
‘I’ll go.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Jack offered, ‘I’ll wait outside. You talk to him and then decide where you want to go from here.’
Ianto nodded, ‘thank you,’ he whispered. He stood up too quickly and gasped, his face contorting and his hand flying to his ribs. Jack’s head snapped up and he strode round the desk to hold him up.
‘Ianto? You okay?’
‘Mmm, give me a second.’ His breath was shallow and Jack frowned.
‘When did you last have the pain killers?’
‘Last night.’
‘Ianto!’
He moved back round to his desk rifling through a secret drawer in his desk and pulling out a bottle of red pills he popped the top and handed two over. Ianto took them gratefully and dry swallowed as he watched.
Jack had seen people die in the most horrible ways, seen people being tortured, inflicted pain and watched people break before his very eyes but watching Ianto take pills in front of him made his heart break and his throat tighten. He reached out and grabbed his hand pulling him close and kissing away his pained expression, he bought a hand gently up to his cheek and felt Ianto relax and kiss back slowly, walking him to the door and bumping him lightly into the frame as his tongue brushed Jack’s lip and he deepened the kiss, pulling him back gently when Ianto tried to move away and kissing him once more.
‘I should go and talk to him.’
Jack sighed and placed a hand over his heart, ‘okay.’
Ianto took his hand from his chest and kissed his fingers lightly before he left to go down to the vaults.
PART 11
A/N 2: Without being totally self indulgent let me explain this last bit with the pills - it is from personal experience. My friend found out she had brain cancer this year and I took it worse than her lol. Anyway, I saw her go through a lot (you don’t need details because I’m sure you get it) but we were in the car one day and she got out a load of tablets (medication she needed) and took them like it was nothing. It was and is the most heart breaking thing I have ever witnessed, this chapter is for her.