The Time Walker's Gambit - Chapter Seven
22 January 2008
Jack stayed with Ianto until he was asleep. He tucked the old quilt around the slumbering dragon, caressing a pale cheek before heading out of the autopsy bay, glad that Ianto’s human skin was getting back to its much warmer state. After he saw to the rest of the team, he would take Ianto home where he could transform back into his dragon shape, and all Jack wanted to do was to curl up next to him and sleep.
He could have lost them all. That thought followed him as he headed up toward the main Hub. He could have lost Ianto. But he hadn’t, and his team had acted as best they could under the circumstances they’d found themselves in, just because a madman had wanted to destroy the world.
Just another day for Torchwood.
Manger’s body had been removed, and someone had cleaned up the blood and brain that had been splattered all over the Rift Manipulator. One man had caused all the grief they’d been through; it was almost mind-boggling what a person would do for something they believed in. But of course, his own people were the same, in that they would do whatever it took to keep this planet safe, because it was what they believed in.
Jack believed in them just as strongly.
Toshiko, Owen, and Kathy were gathered around the technician’s station, talking quietly. Toshiko looked up and must have seen Jack approach; she nodded, and it drew the attention of the other two to Jack. He returned the nod and joined them, standing next to Owen and putting his hand on the medic’s shoulder. “Good to have you back,” he said sincerely.
Owen nodded, looking contrite. “Yeah, I’m sorry about everything I said to you - “
“No apologies needed. It wasn’t you.”
“But still, I feel bad about it. I should have said something, instead of just blaming you for something you didn’t do.”
Jack squeezed his shoulder in comfort. Manger had gotten under all of their skins. There really hadn’t been anything anyone could have done about it.
“I want you both to take tomorrow off,” he said. “We’ve all been through hell the last couple of days, and we deserve the time. I don’t want to see either of you within miles of this place tomorrow, unless the world is ending.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Owen said, “but if Dragon Boy complains of shortness of breath, his heart starts fluttering, or he develops a fever or chills, I want you to call me, Jack.”
“I will, don’t worry.” He was planning on driving his mate home and taking care of him.
Toshiko moved forward and hugged him. “Thank God you’re all right,” she whispered.
Jack returned it. “I’m always all right.”
She pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. “No, Jack…you aren’t. You might come back from the dead, but that doesn’t mean you’re all right. Let Ianto look after you too, okay?”
He was touched by her words. “I will, gorgeous. Thanks for everything.” He kissed her forehead.
Then he turned to Kathy Swanson. Jack wanted to hug her as well, but thought he knew her well enough that the gesture wouldn’t be appreciated. “Thank you, detective,” he said. “You helped my team and most likely helped stop the end of the world.”
Kathy huffed. “Well, I’d say it was all in a days’ work, but I’ve never actually saved the world before. I don’t know how you all do it day in, day out.”
“It’s what we do,” Toshiko answered, shrugging. “Someone has to.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t want a place on my team?” Jack asked. “You’d be very welcome.” He hoped she’d say yes. It occurred to Jack that he’d hired the wrong copper, and that Kathy would be an incredible asset to Torchwood.
“No, sorry,” she replied. “I’m fine with helping you out when you need it, but you lot are just too weird to hang out with every day. And really, I’m not too sure about some of your practices. Besides, you might need a friendly face on the force.”
Jack nodded, disappointed. “Fair enough.” He held out a hand to her. “Thanks again, Detective. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again, especially with you being a Dragon-Friend.”
Surprisingly, Kathy did embrace him then. “You hurt him,” she whispered in his ear, “and I’ll find a way to make you stay dead. Got it?”
Jack couldn’t help but grin. “Got it,” he answered, hugging her back. He felt lucky that Ianto had such good friends as her, although he also felt that small twinge of jealousy that he always did around her.
Kathy stepped back, as if embarrassed by the show of emotion. “We might not always see eye-to-eye, Harkness,” she said, “but I can’t help but feel like you really got a raw deal with this not dying thing. It must be a bitch.”
“It is.” He was very grateful for her words. Kathy seemed to grasp that his apparent immortality was a curse, unlike some. “But at least I have someone to share the centuries with now.”
“Better get off,” the detective said. “I’m sure the DCI is wondering what the hell I’m up to.” She turned to Toshiko. “I’ll call you, yeah?”
“You better,” Toshiko said in a mock-growl. “I think this could be the start of a great friendship.”
Kathy grinned. “Yeah. We even have something in common. Besides, I wanna know all about this Dragon-Friend lark. I don’t think the Fire Dragon gave me all the details, to be honest.”
“Better you two than me,” Owen sniffed. “There’s just something screwy about metaphysical dragons dropping by for unexpected visits. Our Dragon Boy is enough for me.”
In perfect harmony both Toshiko and Kathy rolled their eyes. Ianto would have been proud.
“On that note,” Kathy said, “I’m outta here. I’d like to say it’s been fun, but dealing with my DCI is a lot less stressful.”
“If you’ll wait a second,” Toshiko said, “I’ll walk out with you.” She gathered her things and the two Dragon-Friends exited together.
“C’mon,” Owen said, “let’s get Ianto out to his car so you can get him home.”
That was the best idea Jack had heard yet.
**********
Jack supported Ianto as they entered the house, his arm around the dragon’s human waist and holding him as close as possible. He was warmer, and more responsive, but Jack didn’t want to let go.
He never thought of himself as particularly needy, but tonight it was coming out in him full stop. For perhaps the very first time, he was facing the very real idea that he could have lost his team…and his mate. He’d fallen into Manger’s trap back in the past, and while he couldn’t really remember what had happened, Jack felt it was somehow his fault. That he’d been weak in some way, and had endangered the team because of it. As for the real Captain Harkness…Jack mourned him, as he had Gray. The man had been an innocent, drawn into events by Manger and his designs to break himself and Ianto apart. And Jack had taken his name based on a lie.
He felt dirty, and that the filth would never wash off.
“Stop thinking so loud,” Ianto chastised softly. “You’re taking the blame and you shouldn’t be.”
Jack maneuvered his lover through the lounge, toward the stairs. “I don’t want to think about that,” he said honestly. “I just want to take care of you tonight.”
“I think we need to take care of each other,” Ianto said, his own arm tightening around Jack’s waist.
“Let’s get you upstairs and into a bath,” he answered.
“Will you join me?” the dragon asked coyly.
Jack rolled his eyes. “For a bath only,” he replied. “We’re both too tired for anything else, and I don’t want Owen on my ass if something happens to all that good work he did on your chest.” He needed to clean himself up; he felt decades of grime on his skin, and Jack was well aware that Manger had kept his body stored in the old bomb shelter ever since his ‘death’ in 1941.
“Agreed,” Ianto murmured. “I doubt I’m up to more tonight. I never knew a stun gun could hurt me like that.”
“He knew your weak area.” That frightened Jack more than anything. Ianto might be very long lived - for all intents and purposes, immortal - but he wasn’t like Jack, and certain things could take him away at any time. That was the last thing Jack wanted; he needed Ianto in his life, and losing him simply wasn’t an option.
“You’re thinking too hard again.”
Jack started, smiling softly at the dragon in his hold. “Yeah, I know. Let’s get comfortable, okay? You have a seat, and I’ll run the bath.”
It was a sign of the dragon’s tiredness that he didn’t argue, and in fact took a seat on the human bed in his loft, bending over carefully to remove his shoes one-handed, the sling that Owen had given him a definite hindrance.
Jack left him for as long as it took for him to go into the en-suite, and begin to fill the tub, adding some of the lavender bath salts Ianto enjoyed. He knew that Ianto would have preferred to change to dragon-form and clean his scales first by using the hose in the back garden, but in his weakened condition Jack didn’t trust him not to come down with a cold in the winter weather. A regular, human bath would have to do.
As the bath was running, he went back out into the loft to help Ianto remove the suit he’d been wearing. It was a testament to the dragon’s frame of mind that he’d chosen to wear all black that morning; he must have been truly hurt by the fake Jack, and that caused an ache to settle into Jack’s chest.
“I knew it wasn’t you,” Ianto murmured as Jack slowly stripped the clothing layers away. “Well, not at first…but I thought it was just because of all the Rift energy that had saturated you as you’d traveled through time. But this morning, when I’d arrived at the Hub…I could tell it wasn’t you. But I have to be honest…I was so hurt by what had happened back in the past that I didn’t even try to sense you. Once I did though…Jack, I’m sorry I doubted you. I didn’t want to think you’d done something like that, or that you’d turned your back on us - “
Jack put a finger over Ianto’s lips, stopping the flow of words. “I don’t blame you for doubting. But it’s over now, and I promise you this: I will never hurt you intentionally.” Jack removed his finger, replacing it with his lips. The kiss was soft, and warm, and it held the promise that Jack had made verbally. He didn’t want Ianto to ever doubt him again.
He eventually broke away. He reveled in the look of happiness on Ianto’s face, and the sparkle in his blue eyes. “Bath time for you,” he said, taking the dragon by the hand.
“For both of us,” Ianto answered, following willingly.
Jack turned the taps off, glad that they’d broken the kiss when they had; he didn’t want to have to clean up a minor flood if the bath had run over.
He helped Ianto to get in, trying to not to dwell on the ugly redness and bruising on the pale torso. It had gotten worse as time had gone on, and Jack didn’t like that his dragon had been hurt.
Once Ianto was settled, Jack removed his own clothes and got in behind him, glad that the bathtub was large enough to accommodate both of them. He urged Ianto to rest against his chest, as he found the flannel and began to carefully wash his lover, fingers lightly stroking over the injury, trying to soothe and not hurt. Judging from the purring the dragon was making, he was succeeding.
This felt right, having Ianto in his arms…in his life. Before meeting the dragon, Jack had always believed that, in the end, he would be alone. That he would live on and on, losing everyone he’d ever loved to death, unless he could find the Doctor and be fixed.
But now…Ianto would be with him, hopefully for the eternity that dragons mate for. That was why he wanted this mating so very badly; Ianto had grown so important to him, that he couldn’t see not being without him. He would do anything to make sure Ianto would be there, by his side, forever.
The dragon relaxed completely against him, and Jack knew that if Ianto fell asleep again in human form that it would make things worse for his recovery. He gently roused his lover, chivvying him out of the bath and drying him with the soft red towels that Ianto loved so well. “Go on in,” he urged. “I’ll be in as soon as I get dry myself.”
Ianto followed the instructions placidly, giving away just how tired he was. Jack could make out the golden glow of him changing into his natural form as he toweled his body off, then after he’d pulled the plug on the tub he padded naked into the loft. He found his lover sprawled on his side, facing the large skylight, his wings splayed out on the carpet instead of curled against his powerful body as he usually rested them. The dragon was obviously trying to keep pressure off his injured chest, and Jack had to hide his chuckles at just how boneless he looked. It was almost like watching a large, green-scaled cat.
Kneeling beside the large head, Jack began to stroke the dragon’s snout, in the way he knew Ianto liked. With a sigh of contentment his slitted blue eyes slid closed, and he quietly began to sing.
Jack didn’t recognize the song, but it was sweet-sounding, the dragon-words floating about them with an almost airless quality. He continued to run his fingers along the fine green scales, warm and alive under his touch. The song permeated his very soul, and Jack found himself laying down on the pillows and cushions that made up the dragon’s bed, his body pressed against the sinuous neck, still touching his lover. He closed his eyes and let the song take him up, to another place, where two dragons flew together, forever.
It was the one thing he wanted more than anything, to truly mate with this wonderful dragon.
The song faded as Ianto gave in to sleep, and Jack wrapped his arms around his lover’s neck, snuggling himself against the one being he loved more than anything, and let sleep take him as well.