Fic: Moonlight to Starlight
Title: Moonlight to Starlight
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Spoilers: This is a Children of Earth fix-it story
Warnings: Romantic fluff!
Word Count: 872
Summary: A much more satisfying (in my opinion) ending to Children of Earth. Story written for Jantolution Challenge #23. (prompt: "moonlight")
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. If I did, I wouldn't need to fix CoE.
Thank you: to gracewillow for a quick beta-read.
“Don’t leave me.” Those were the last words Ianto remembered before he slipped away, his lifeless body remaining behind in his grief-stricken lover’s arms. Ianto felt himself become weightless, then saw the scene from above. He wished desperately to be able to console Jack but there was nothing he could do but float away, up out of that dreadful room.
Everyone the Torchwood team had ever revived had insisted there was “nothing” after death. No consciousness, just a great and terrible darkness. But to Ianto’s surprise he was bathed in light. It was a soft white light, more like moonlight than sunlight. It gradually grew brighter, as if he was surrounded by many full moons glowing gently, bathing him, soothing him. He relaxed and let the moonlight carry him to wherever it might be taking him. There was no fear, only beauty and tranquility… and the faint sound of someone calling his name.
“Ianto!”
Oh yes, that was definitely Jack’s voice. “Ianto, wait for me!”
Ianto willed himself to turn around. It was like swimming in warm bath water, glowing moonlit bath water. And then Jack was with him.
“We’re dead, aren’t we?” Ianto needed to know.
“Yes. I died of the virus too,” Jack said as he pulled Ianto into a tight embrace. “But I won’t stay dead long, so we’ve got to be quick. I won’t lose you. I refuse to lose you!”
“But Jack,” Ianto started, intending to point out the obvious-that though Jack was immortal, sadly Ianto couldn’t bounce back to life. Jack put a finger over Ianto’s lips, silencing him. Then Jack replaced the finger with his lips. As they kissed, Ianto felt himself bathed in light again. Even with his eyes closed, he could see the light vividly. But this time it was a golden light, nearly as bright as the sun. Ianto had felt this light from Jack once before, on that terrible day when Lisa had died for good. Jack had given him just a tiny taste of it, nothing like the full dose Jack was giving him now. Ianto opened his mouth and took it in, letting the light nourish him like a parched plant reviving as it finally receives water.
When the kiss finally ended, Jack looked deeply into Ianto’s eyes. “This will work,” Jack insisted. “It has to work.”
“I want to come back to you,” Ianto said, stroking Jack’s face. But his hand touched empty, moonlit air. Jack was already gone-rejoining his body back on Earth.
***
In a room filled with the bodies of the 456’s victims, Jack took in a deep, jagged breath as he opened his eyes. Then he pulled Ianto’s lifeless body into his arms and sobbed.
***
Jack had no idea if what he had attempted would actually be successful. Occasionally, he’d been able to revive the nearly-dead. But to bring back someone who had actually died? All he could do was hope. Jack had arranged for Ianto’s body to “disappear”. The nursing staff at Flat Holm hadn’t questioned Jack’s request to put a seemingly dead body on life support. Now all he could do was wait and hope.
***
SIX MONTHS LATER
At the top of a hill in Cardiff, Jack said goodbye to Gwen and Rhys, touched the coordinates on his vortex manipulator, and transported to a ship high above the Earth. Inside the ship, the sight of his lover, looking dapper in his new suit, nearly took his breath away. “Ianto,” he finally managed to exhale, as Ianto pulled him into an embrace. After a long kiss, Jack took Ianto’s hand and led him to a viewport to show him the incredible view. Together, they watched in silence as the Earth grew smaller and smaller.
The moon came into view, bathing them with a brilliant light that reminded Ianto of what it had felt like to be dead. The climb back to life had been a long one; he’d been in and out of a dream state for what felt like forever before emerging from his deep coma. When he finally regained consciousness and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Jack’s gorgeous face, those blue eyes exuberant, seeing Ianto awake at last.
“As soon as you’re strong enough, we’re getting away from here,” Jack had promised that day. Ianto had never been on holiday with Jack. He assumed Jack meant perhaps they’d go to Blackpool, or somewhere farther away, like Scotland. But this was even better.
As the moonlight faded, and a sea of stars came into view, Ianto turned to his lover. “So, where are we going?”
“Wherever we want to go. We have a whole universe to explore.”
Ianto felt a small pang of guilt, knowing everyone back home thought he was dead. Perhaps after their travels they would return to Earth. He shrugged off the guilt as he reached inside Jack’s RAF coat and hugged him, breathing in the scent of those 51st century pheromones that had intoxicated him so long ago, before he’d fallen in love with the man himself.
“Thank you for sharing the universe with me,” Ianto said after a long silence.
Jack smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
*end*
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Spoilers: This is a Children of Earth fix-it story
Warnings: Romantic fluff!
Word Count: 872
Summary: A much more satisfying (in my opinion) ending to Children of Earth. Story written for Jantolution Challenge #23. (prompt: "moonlight")
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. If I did, I wouldn't need to fix CoE.
Thank you: to gracewillow for a quick beta-read.
“Don’t leave me.” Those were the last words Ianto remembered before he slipped away, his lifeless body remaining behind in his grief-stricken lover’s arms. Ianto felt himself become weightless, then saw the scene from above. He wished desperately to be able to console Jack but there was nothing he could do but float away, up out of that dreadful room.
Everyone the Torchwood team had ever revived had insisted there was “nothing” after death. No consciousness, just a great and terrible darkness. But to Ianto’s surprise he was bathed in light. It was a soft white light, more like moonlight than sunlight. It gradually grew brighter, as if he was surrounded by many full moons glowing gently, bathing him, soothing him. He relaxed and let the moonlight carry him to wherever it might be taking him. There was no fear, only beauty and tranquility… and the faint sound of someone calling his name.
“Ianto!”
Oh yes, that was definitely Jack’s voice. “Ianto, wait for me!”
Ianto willed himself to turn around. It was like swimming in warm bath water, glowing moonlit bath water. And then Jack was with him.
“We’re dead, aren’t we?” Ianto needed to know.
“Yes. I died of the virus too,” Jack said as he pulled Ianto into a tight embrace. “But I won’t stay dead long, so we’ve got to be quick. I won’t lose you. I refuse to lose you!”
“But Jack,” Ianto started, intending to point out the obvious-that though Jack was immortal, sadly Ianto couldn’t bounce back to life. Jack put a finger over Ianto’s lips, silencing him. Then Jack replaced the finger with his lips. As they kissed, Ianto felt himself bathed in light again. Even with his eyes closed, he could see the light vividly. But this time it was a golden light, nearly as bright as the sun. Ianto had felt this light from Jack once before, on that terrible day when Lisa had died for good. Jack had given him just a tiny taste of it, nothing like the full dose Jack was giving him now. Ianto opened his mouth and took it in, letting the light nourish him like a parched plant reviving as it finally receives water.
When the kiss finally ended, Jack looked deeply into Ianto’s eyes. “This will work,” Jack insisted. “It has to work.”
“I want to come back to you,” Ianto said, stroking Jack’s face. But his hand touched empty, moonlit air. Jack was already gone-rejoining his body back on Earth.
***
In a room filled with the bodies of the 456’s victims, Jack took in a deep, jagged breath as he opened his eyes. Then he pulled Ianto’s lifeless body into his arms and sobbed.
***
Jack had no idea if what he had attempted would actually be successful. Occasionally, he’d been able to revive the nearly-dead. But to bring back someone who had actually died? All he could do was hope. Jack had arranged for Ianto’s body to “disappear”. The nursing staff at Flat Holm hadn’t questioned Jack’s request to put a seemingly dead body on life support. Now all he could do was wait and hope.
***
SIX MONTHS LATER
At the top of a hill in Cardiff, Jack said goodbye to Gwen and Rhys, touched the coordinates on his vortex manipulator, and transported to a ship high above the Earth. Inside the ship, the sight of his lover, looking dapper in his new suit, nearly took his breath away. “Ianto,” he finally managed to exhale, as Ianto pulled him into an embrace. After a long kiss, Jack took Ianto’s hand and led him to a viewport to show him the incredible view. Together, they watched in silence as the Earth grew smaller and smaller.
The moon came into view, bathing them with a brilliant light that reminded Ianto of what it had felt like to be dead. The climb back to life had been a long one; he’d been in and out of a dream state for what felt like forever before emerging from his deep coma. When he finally regained consciousness and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Jack’s gorgeous face, those blue eyes exuberant, seeing Ianto awake at last.
“As soon as you’re strong enough, we’re getting away from here,” Jack had promised that day. Ianto had never been on holiday with Jack. He assumed Jack meant perhaps they’d go to Blackpool, or somewhere farther away, like Scotland. But this was even better.
As the moonlight faded, and a sea of stars came into view, Ianto turned to his lover. “So, where are we going?”
“Wherever we want to go. We have a whole universe to explore.”
Ianto felt a small pang of guilt, knowing everyone back home thought he was dead. Perhaps after their travels they would return to Earth. He shrugged off the guilt as he reached inside Jack’s RAF coat and hugged him, breathing in the scent of those 51st century pheromones that had intoxicated him so long ago, before he’d fallen in love with the man himself.
“Thank you for sharing the universe with me,” Ianto said after a long silence.
Jack smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
*end*