Hidden Identity- Chapter 3
Title: Hidden Identity- Chapter 3/13 + Epilogue
Author: Iantojjackh
Rating: PG
Summary: It began in a bar on a cold fusion cruiser with a stranger named Alonso. From there Jack's life takes a turn he never expected.
Characters: Jack Harkness, Alonso Frame, Gwen Cooper, Rhys Williams, Rhiannon Davies, Ianto Jones, Tenth Doctor, Twelfth Doctor,
Spoilers: CoE compliant fix-it and The End of Time (DW)
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me. I just borrowed them for a short spell. I wish I owned them so there wouldn't be the need to write fix-its like this.
Word Count: ~26k
Beta: timelordshines
Notes: this originally started off as a prompt from jo02 from the torchwood-fest member created fest way back earlier this year. After several starts and stops, I finally finished this. This was also written for the longliveianto big bang round 2.
Chapter 3
Jack was too lost in his own grief to notice the body in his arms gasp back to life and it took Ianto several moments to calm Jack down and show he was alright. "No...no. This is impossible," Jack refused to see what was in front of him. "What are you?" The sobbing started up again.
"It's possible, Jack. It's really me. Nobody is playing any games with you. It was the Doctor. He helped me so I could help you." Ianto begged. He still had a hard time believing that his death had affected Jack this much. It wasn't as if Jack had never lost anyone close to him. Ianto tried to get Jack to look at him, but his eyes would not stay forward.
Jack shook his head, refusing to believe the words. "No, it can't be. You died. You are just a figment of my imagination, created by guilt and grief."
"Come with me," Ianto helped Jack up and lead him toward the bed. Jack was still in such a state that he was completely under the power of the one leading him. He would do anything asked of him. "Sit and let me get dressed and then I'll tell you what happened."
At first Jack obeyed, watching Ianto and looking for any hint that he was an imposter. After several moments of just watching and admiring the view as if witnessing it for the first time, Jack got up from the bed and stood behind Ianto, close enough so Ianto could smell the hyper vodkas on his breath.
"You never drink that much," Ianto commented but stopped as Jack's arms slid around his waist. He leaned into the embrace he had missed so much. He didn't know how to tell Jack that when seven months had passed for him, nearly two years had passed for Ianto.
Jack pressed his lips to the back of Ianto's neck, sure for the first time all evening that this was as it should be. "I'm a broken man who could not be fixed until today."
"I'm sorry." Ianto whispered. He was not sure what he was sorry for but felt the words needed to be said.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ianto. You are here and that's all that matters.” Jack nuzzled into Ianto’s neck, comforted by the fact that it felt as real as it could. Whatever time they had this time around, Jack was not going to squander one moment of it. “How long do I have you for?" Jack knew this had to come with some restrictions and it would not be forever.
"For as long as you'd have me." Ianto turned around, smiling as he nudged Jack to the bed. "Let me start from the beginning…" He sat beside Jack and, taking his hand, began to tell the story of how he came back to life.
"The Doctor took me from Thames House shortly after you and Gwen left. He had help, but would never tell me who. He used the excuse about the fabric of time being a stake. He was able to bring me back because there was some of your residual life energy left within me and it was just enough for him to work with." Ianto paused to take a deep breath. "Had he been an hour later, it would have been too late. He did not want to bring me back, but he had no other options." Ianto contemplated telling Jack that his death was the start of a long series of events that would result in Jack wreaking havoc across several galaxies for centuries with almost a billion lives lost as a result.
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Somewhere on the TARDIS. Somewhere in space and time
"This goes against everything I believe in, but you are a necessary evil, Ianto Jones." The Time Lord said with indifference as he watched Ianto gasping for air as his body healed from the toxins that liquefied his insides.
Ianto was in too much pain to understand or even care what was being said to him. Once the pain did not have him wishing for death, Ianto had a few choice words for the Doctor mainly revolving around his treatment of Jack and his lack of help during the last few days. Though Ianto wondered if he should really berate the man that brought him back from of the brink of death. At times he swore there was a second figure lingering in the shadows that he could not make out through the haze of pain. The Doctor gave of a vibe he did not want the other figure to be there, but he had no choice in the matter.
"It's going to hurt for a while, but in a few hours you will be fine." the Doctor watched as Ianto's eyes went wide with fear and the question that sat behind the fear: Why? "You've changed Jack, whether or not either of you admit it. But your death was the start of it all. It was a catalyst for a series of events that I'd rather not talk about...that I cannot talk about. I ran countless scenarios and the only way to prevent those unspeakable events is for you not to have died in Jack's arms, but that still had to happen in order for Jack to defeat the 456. You have to bring him out of the dark place he has sunk into. I know what you must be thinking: that you would eventually die and what's the whole point of bringing you back. The answer is simple really. It was more to do with the violent and sudden nature of your death. There was no way to just revive you so I had to do something against mine and the TARDIS' better judgment - I had to give you some of the time vortex to bring you back. She almost refused to cooperate, but it seems like the old girl likes you and chose to help."
The Doctor looked at his latest companion. "You aren't much of a talker, are you? If you don't want to accept the following conditions I can put you in stasis and millions can eventual die directly or indirectly by Jack's hand." The Time Lord did not wait an answer before continuing. "You can never return to Earth. There is no contacting anyone you know back home. As far as Earth is concerned you are dead and you have to stay that way. The only person who can know who you are is Jack. You will make an excellent babysitter for him."
Through the intense pain, Ianto managed to shoot the Doctor a dirty look for his last comment. The man was still treating Jack like he was a misbehaving child which was not right. "Why? Why do you treat him like you do? What did Jack ever do to you? He never asked for what happened to him," Ianto watched as the verbose man struggled for words. "Can't come up with an answer? I thought not. Jack is not the same man he was when you left him for as good as dead."
In typical Doctor fashion he avoided the real issue. "You are probably the best thing that ever happened to him. So, answer my question, are you going to help Jack or not?"
Ianto frowned, knowing he was being manipulated. There was no way he would say no to helping Jack. "You know I can't say no. Why ask the question if you know what my answer will be?"
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"He brought you back so you could babysit me for eternity?" Jack's face showed no hint of emotion. Several seconds later he cracked into one of his trademark grins, "Does that mean if I'm naughty that you'll put me over your knee and spank me? Kinky babysitter fantasies are hot." He was trying to lighten the serious mood.
Quickly, Ianto shook his head in a negative, "No. How else will you learn?"
"What if I don't want to learn?" Jack countered. The doubt that the man was not really Ianto began to chip away. Only Ianto would withhold the kinky stuff as punishment for bad behavior, and look delicious doing it.
"Then it will depend on how naughty you've been." Ianto laughed for what seemed like the first time in forever. "Experience has shown that you respond to things better when I deprive you what you want most."
"That's not fair."
"It's not supposed to be and it works like it should."
Jack cleared his throat, "After he saved you, the Doctor brought you here to wait for me? And what's with holographic chip and the Alonso thing?" All of Jack's questions had yet to be answered and this would help with a few of them.
"Not exactly. He's not really that good with timing, is he?" Ianto stalled.
"No. The TARDIS does what it wants."
"For me, it's been two years since Thames House. I guess the TARDIS and the Doctor thought I needed to travel across the universe and through time for a bit," Ianto could see Jack getting upset that it had been almost two years and he tried to calm the agitated man with a kiss.
"That's not going to work. Two years! He took you for two fucking years. Why the hell would he wait that long?" There was always a first for everything, Jack Harkness was turning down a kiss.
"It's better than being dead." Ianto shrugged nonchalantly. "And that's the reason for the holographic chip. A dead man can't be walking around. I have to stay dead to everyone I know except you. The Doctor is a bastard for putting me in the position knowing I could never say no to helping you." Ianto was clearly distressed about the situation. But he knew there was nothing he could do and he accepted that. "I can say some really corny line about now, but you know it's not me so I'm not going to say it."
"I know what you were going to say and you do have a point, but it doesn't mean I have to like that he took you for so long."
"What’s done is done and if we are going to continue to be mad about it then it takes away from time to do this." Ianto tried to distract Jack with a kiss again, and this time it was successful. Their lips met tentatively as if it was their first kiss. The nervousness quickly melted away and their mouths opened and their tongues danced the familiar tango that had been long missed.
Jack tried to put up a fight but he was soon seduced by the enchanting Welshman. It was something Jack never thought he'd ever get to feel again so he welcomed it. Clothes were quickly discarded and Ianto was pounded into the mattress until every muscle burned in overuse. However, one of the perks of being immortal was a quick recovery period and then it was Jack's turn to become one with the mattress.
Once their energy was spent again, neither man wanted to move. Truth be told both men were afraid that if they let go they would find the last few hours to have been nothing but a dream.
"No sleeping," Jack tickled the tip of Ianto's nose to wake the Welshman who was on the verge of falling asleep.
"Hmm. I’m tired. We've got plenty of time for more sex," Ianto said as he yawned and snuggled in closer.
"I don't want more sex tonight..."
"Who are you and what have you done with Jack Harkness?"
"Very funny, Mr. Jones."
"I try, sir." Ianto's eyes closed as slumber dragged him toward her realm.
"Ianto, please listen to me." There was a sense of urgency in Jack's voice that forced Ianto awake.
"I'm listening." Ianto replied with a sleepy smile.
"I love you, Ianto Jones. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that in case I find all this wasn't real when I wake in the morning or if you are not really my Ianto. I should have said it sooner and I was an idiot for not saying it. I also need to apologise for being an absolute prat to you those last few days before you died. I just wanted to get that off my chest before you're gone." Jack never looked more vulnerable and fragile. If the wrong thing was said, he might just break and crumble to dust.
"I love you too, Jack but can we save this conversation until after we both get some sleep?" Ianto knew this was not a conversation to have while he was this tired. There was a lot they needed to talk about of what happened his last few days on Earth and it would not be a productive conversation at this point. "It's really me," he knew it was going to be a while before all Jack's doubts were gone and he would do everything to make that happen sooner rather than later. "And I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be here when you wake up. But can I please get some sleep?" It was Ianto's turn to beg. The evening had taken its toll and the Welshman really needed some rest.
"If you must," Jack happily kissed the tip of his lover's nose. "But I think I'll stay up and watch you for a bit."
"Sounds like a plan." Ianto possessively draped his arm over Jack's waist. "Just in case you decide to go anywhere."
"I could say the same about you." Jack pulled Ianto tighter into his arms and placed a last gentle kiss on Ianto's lips before sleep claimed the younger man.
Jack watched Ianto sleep, enjoying the view and looking for any sign that this wonderful time was about to come to an end. After several hours of watching and admiring, Jack was convinced that at least for tonight Ianto was not leaving and he finally fell into a much needed deep sleep.
In the morning but closer to afternoon, Jack woke up more well rested than he had in forever. However, his heart broke when he found himself alone in the bed. It was a dream after all.
To be continued!!! Chapter 4
A/N: Sorry for evil cliffhangers. I can't help myself.
Previous Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2