Fic: The Boy Is Gone 14/20
TITLE: The Boy Is Gone 14/20
AUTHOR: Erin Giles
DISCLAIMER: Torchwood and its characters are property of the BBC. The Family Jones is of my own creation.
RATING: PG-15
PAIRINGS/CHARACTERS: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, OC's
SUMMARY: The Rift has never been the most stable influence in Ianto Jones’ life but when children in Cardiff start disappearing all over the city, Ianto’s family life crashes rather dramatically with Torchwood.
AUTHOR NOTES: This is the sequel to my stories, “Family Matters” and “A Nostalgic Yearning” and is the finale in the series “Footprints in the Sand”. It will not make sense unless you have read these. Set post Exit Wounds.
I was going to wait until I'd written the next bit as well (with actual plot) to post this but I thought you'd all waited long enough since I've been away over the weekend at the Hub. *squee* Such an awesome time - but enough of making you jealous! ;) Back to the boy kissing! :P
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 |
Saturday 16th August 11.04am
“The missing children have now been returned to their parents after being found by police in a collapsed warehouse out at the docks in Barry. All of the children were unharmed after the incident. Police have yet to confirm if they have arrested the kidnapper but have been quoted as saying, ‘the children are back home with their parents now, safe and sound. That is all that concerns us at the moment.’
“A male body was found in Splott this morning after being.”
Ianto changed the television channel. Fed up of the news being nice and vague as usual, flicking past Jeremy Kyle and morning children’s television as well. He debated watching Will and Grace on Channel Four, but was unsure his ribs would hold up to the chuckling. He turned the television off, putting the remote back down on the bed before reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table. His hand didn’t even get halfway there before someone was holding the glass out to him.
“Anything interesting on television?” Jack asked as he sat down in the visitor’s chair, pulling it closer to the bed.
“Apparently police found the missing children in a warehouse on Barry. No one was harmed.” Ianto commented, taking a sip of water before handing it back to Jack. Jack had an intense look in his eyes as he stared at Ianto, unblinking for a moment before he was changing the subject.
“Not bald then.” Jack joked as he watched Ianto blinking blearily up at him, a confused look on his face as Jack reached out a hand to run it through Ianto’s hair. There was still a large square of white gauze on the side of Ianto’s head though that ran into his hairline, so there was no doubt he at least had a bald patch. Jack also noted the chest tube had gone, but Ianto still had a pillow clutched to the side of his chest, presumably to relieve the strain of breathing somewhat.
“Apparently not.” Ianto replied rather gruffly. Since Jack had left, Ianto had been moved to a private room opposite the nurses’ station in another ward, no longer needing twenty-four hour surveillance.
“My head feels big.” Ianto confessed. “Does it look big?”
Jack laughed. “No bigger than normal. Although if I called you a hero I’m sure it would inflate your ego.”
Ianto actually blushed before he was frowning, obviously straining to remember something.
“Was my Dad here?”
Jack nodded. “He came to see how you were, was there when you woke up the first time. Said you were talking about the suit you’d worn to your sister’s wedding being at the back of the wardrobe.”
Ianto frowned, a smile playing on his lips though. “Seems even when I’m brain damaged I’ve still got my priorities straight.”
“You’re not brain damaged.” Jack jumped in almost immediately, a serious tone to his voice now. Ianto looked mildly scared before he was reaching out a hand to reassure Jack.
“I’m joking. The doctor spoke to me this morning. Told me about my injuries and how sever they could have been but they’re impressed with how quickly I’m healing.” Ianto reassured, noting how Jack was still apprehensive.
“Nurse told me I had excellent vocabulary skills.” Ianto joked. “She even suggested a gold star reward system.”
“You must be getting better if you can wind me up.” Jack smirked.
“Your Dad said he’d come back later on today by the way. He’s worried about you,” Jack hesitated, before he was pulling his hand away from Ianto’s.
“You know I was so worried that you’d got lost in the Rift, that you were going to come back and I would have to take you to Flat Holm.” Jack looked down at his hands, fidgeting with the end of his sleeve and a loose thread there.
“And then when you did come back, and you were just lying there in amongst the rubble, I suddenly wished that you had come back to me screaming for your mother and mentally beyond salvation, because then at least you’d be alive.” Jack’s voice had a hoarse quality to it now as he continued to pull at the thread, almost trying to unravel his jacket.
“Stop it.” Ianto’s voice was soft as he reached out his good hand, placing it on top of Jack’s fidgeting ones.
“I’m not going to sow it all back together if you unravel it.” Ianto said, grasping Jack’s hands weakly in his now.
“Also stop working yourself up over nothing. I’m still here, mostly unharmed, and not any crazier than I was when I left.” Ianto joked.
Jack looked up at him finally, taking Ianto’s hand in his, that intense look back in his eyes again, finally realising he would have to take the direct approach if he was ever going to get anything out of Ianto.
“What happened to you?”
Ianto took a shuddering breath. “I only remember bits.” He admitted almost sheepishly. He didn’t really want to talk about what had happened, not now, but he could see Jack was looking for some kind of reassurance no matter how hollow.
“I remember being in the street with you and seeing my Mam. She called out to me and I never thought that it was wrong that she was there and alive, all I cared about was getting to her. I could feel her arms around me Jack, and I was five years old again, her smelling like she always does.” Ianto gave a tentative smile. He wasn’t lying. It had been like that, however brief that relief of being loved so unequivocally had lasted.
“Then I don’t know where I was, but it was okay, because my Mam was there.” Ianto paused, his brain flailing a bit as he tried to think of a suitable alternative to what had really happened.
“I know that the other children weren’t there, that Finlay wasn’t there, but I felt safe, like someone was watching out for me.” Ianto lied through his teeth, watching Jack as he seemed to take it all in, not questioning him, which was Ianto’s first tip off that Jack didn’t buy a word he was saying, but he let him continue.
“I didn’t really have a concept of time or place, not until I was spat back out in that warehouse, then the Rift seemed to collapse in on itself, like it was trying to rectify what it had done.” Ianto gave a half shurg.
“Did you see anyone apart from your Mam?” Jack asked eventually when Ianto was no longer forthcoming. Ianto hesitated before he gave a slight shake of his head, his eyes never wavering from Jack’s. Ianto was a skilled liar, had to be with the job he did, but Jack, he knew, could always see right through his façade. He tried not to look away from those startlingly blue eyes as he remembered that little boy staring at him with the same intensity.
Eventually Jack’s hand reached out for Ianto’s again, cupping over it.
“As long as your back safe and sound.” Jack mumbled through a sigh
Saturday 16th August 4.17pm
Owen was curled round Ianto’s plaster cast, holding on with mucky paws, his ears flopping over his upper arm. Gwen could see other signs that Ianto’s nephew had been to visit that morning. There was a card on the bedside table with a drawing of what appeared to be someone in a blue cape, the words ‘Get Well Soon’ scrawled underneath. Gwen smiled as she picked it up, reading the message inside.
“Super Ianto gets to wear Jack’s coat.” Ianto mumbled, startling Gwen as he smiled up at her.
“Is this metaphorically or literally?” Gwen asked as she put the card back, sitting down in the visitor’s chair.
“Metaphorically I think, I don’t think I’ve got the energy to wrestle the coat from Jack.” Ianto replied round a yawn, shifting slightly as he felt the rabbit on his arm, realising he must have fallen asleep before his sister and nephew left.
Gwen laughed. “I’ll get Rhys and his mates to rugby tackle him for you.”
Gwen watched as Ianto reached across his body to pick up Owen the rabbit, regarding him with a critical eye.
“Looks like you’ve got someone looking after you.” Gwen smiled, nodding towards the rabbit.
“I must look bad if Finn left Owen to look after me.” Ianto said, trying to sound like he was joking, but Gwen really couldn’t see the funny side as she took in his appearance. He was a far cry from the usual immaculate Ianto she was used to. His hair was in need of a wash and he had more than a five o’clock shadow on his face now. It wasn’t just the fact he was unkempt though, he looked exhausted even though he’d been asleep nearly the whole weekend, his bruises were starting to turn a sickly yellow colour which Gwen knew meant he was healing but it just made him look jaundiced under the hospital lighting.
“Just as handsome as ever.” Gwen said, a slightly teasing tone to her voice as she picked up Owen from where Ianto had laid him back down on the bed, brushing his fur away from his eyes so he could see out them again.
“You here on your own then?” Ianto enquired, watching Gwen carefully as she continued to stare intently at the rabbit in front of her.
“Yeah,” She admitted after a long pause. “Jack’s been on the phone to UNIT and Whitehall nearly all day. He lacks your diplomacy though. I think he told one official that he was an ‘autocratic pen pusher with a banana shoved up his arse’. There may be some damage control when you get back.” Gwen smiled sheepishly.
Ianto gave a dramatic sigh and roll of the eyes.
“He’s worried about you, you know.” Gwen broke the silence again, still not looking up at Ianto as she adjusted Owen, propping him up against the side of Ianto’s leg so his ears flopped over his eyes.
“He said. Several times, but I keep telling him that I’ll be okay.” Ianto tried to reassure.
Gwen was busy picking invisible pieces of fluff off of the hospital blanket now.
“He says you lied to him about what you remembered.” Gwen voiced again, still avoiding Ianto’s gaze, which gave him reason to believe she’d been told to leave it alone and not question Ianto on it under any circumstances. But when had Gwen Cooper ever listened?
“I did.” Ianto replied. It wasn’t that he couldn’t lie to Gwen, it was just he was tired of lying, and he didn’t want to talk about it. He’d known Jack would see through the tale he had spun, but Jack had needed reassurance instead of a sorrowful, ‘I don’t want to talk about it’. So Ianto had talked, spinning him falsehoods and lies to put Jack at ease because even though Ianto was the one lying in the hospital bed, Jack had been through just as much, if not physically then emotionally. Ianto could see that from how tired Jack looked and how his eyes filled with tears every time he looked at Ianto.
Gwen opened her mouth like she was going to say something, finally looking up at Ianto, with an intense piercing gaze. But instead of protesting she just reached out and grabbed at his hand.
“What happened to me isn’t going to change the world, so I’ll talk when I’m ready.” Ianto said sleepily, squeezing Gwen’s hand back. She gave him a teary nod before she was bending forward to kiss him on the lips, lingering so he felt salty tears moist on his own lips. She pulled back, sniffing slightly and giving him a watery smile before she was changing the subject.
“You’ve not got a lot of signatures on there.” Gwen motioned to Ianto’s cast as he raised it off the bed slightly so she could see where the name Finn stared up at her in bright lime green letters. Gwen giggled.
“There’s pens in the cupboard if you want to lend your artistic abilities to the cause.” Ianto encouraged as Gwen got up from the bed, going to retrieve them.
“Should have brought Rhys with me, he’s a dab hand at drawing stick figures.” Gwen joked as she sat back down again, picking up a red pen from the pile of felt tips Finn had left behind.
“As good as Jack?” Ianto asked, raising his eyebrow slightly before he was lifting his arm again, rotating it so Gwen could see a couple of stick figures nestled in the crook of Ianto’s elbow doing unsavoury things.
“Have the nurses seen that?” Gwen asked as she giggled again.
“One of them came in while he was drawing it, and he was more than happy to explain the logistics of it to her. Thankfully Finn had already drawn on my cast.” Ianto replied sarcastically as Gwen tugged a blue pen from the pile as well.
“I think embarrassing revenge is in order.” Gwen proclaimed as she started to draw a stick figure that resembled Jack on Ianto’s arm, causing him to sigh sleepily.
“You’ll be hanging me in the Louvre by the end of the week.”
This is what Gwen had missed; Ianto’s humour, making the best out of dire situations. This is what she had needed the past week. She just hoped she would never have cause to lose it, or lose him, again.
On to Part 15
AUTHOR: Erin Giles
DISCLAIMER: Torchwood and its characters are property of the BBC. The Family Jones is of my own creation.
RATING: PG-15
PAIRINGS/CHARACTERS: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, OC's
SUMMARY: The Rift has never been the most stable influence in Ianto Jones’ life but when children in Cardiff start disappearing all over the city, Ianto’s family life crashes rather dramatically with Torchwood.
AUTHOR NOTES: This is the sequel to my stories, “Family Matters” and “A Nostalgic Yearning” and is the finale in the series “Footprints in the Sand”. It will not make sense unless you have read these. Set post Exit Wounds.
I was going to wait until I'd written the next bit as well (with actual plot) to post this but I thought you'd all waited long enough since I've been away over the weekend at the Hub. *squee* Such an awesome time - but enough of making you jealous! ;) Back to the boy kissing! :P
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 |
Saturday 16th August 11.04am
“The missing children have now been returned to their parents after being found by police in a collapsed warehouse out at the docks in Barry. All of the children were unharmed after the incident. Police have yet to confirm if they have arrested the kidnapper but have been quoted as saying, ‘the children are back home with their parents now, safe and sound. That is all that concerns us at the moment.’
“A male body was found in Splott this morning after being.”
Ianto changed the television channel. Fed up of the news being nice and vague as usual, flicking past Jeremy Kyle and morning children’s television as well. He debated watching Will and Grace on Channel Four, but was unsure his ribs would hold up to the chuckling. He turned the television off, putting the remote back down on the bed before reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table. His hand didn’t even get halfway there before someone was holding the glass out to him.
“Anything interesting on television?” Jack asked as he sat down in the visitor’s chair, pulling it closer to the bed.
“Apparently police found the missing children in a warehouse on Barry. No one was harmed.” Ianto commented, taking a sip of water before handing it back to Jack. Jack had an intense look in his eyes as he stared at Ianto, unblinking for a moment before he was changing the subject.
“Not bald then.” Jack joked as he watched Ianto blinking blearily up at him, a confused look on his face as Jack reached out a hand to run it through Ianto’s hair. There was still a large square of white gauze on the side of Ianto’s head though that ran into his hairline, so there was no doubt he at least had a bald patch. Jack also noted the chest tube had gone, but Ianto still had a pillow clutched to the side of his chest, presumably to relieve the strain of breathing somewhat.
“Apparently not.” Ianto replied rather gruffly. Since Jack had left, Ianto had been moved to a private room opposite the nurses’ station in another ward, no longer needing twenty-four hour surveillance.
“My head feels big.” Ianto confessed. “Does it look big?”
Jack laughed. “No bigger than normal. Although if I called you a hero I’m sure it would inflate your ego.”
Ianto actually blushed before he was frowning, obviously straining to remember something.
“Was my Dad here?”
Jack nodded. “He came to see how you were, was there when you woke up the first time. Said you were talking about the suit you’d worn to your sister’s wedding being at the back of the wardrobe.”
Ianto frowned, a smile playing on his lips though. “Seems even when I’m brain damaged I’ve still got my priorities straight.”
“You’re not brain damaged.” Jack jumped in almost immediately, a serious tone to his voice now. Ianto looked mildly scared before he was reaching out a hand to reassure Jack.
“I’m joking. The doctor spoke to me this morning. Told me about my injuries and how sever they could have been but they’re impressed with how quickly I’m healing.” Ianto reassured, noting how Jack was still apprehensive.
“Nurse told me I had excellent vocabulary skills.” Ianto joked. “She even suggested a gold star reward system.”
“You must be getting better if you can wind me up.” Jack smirked.
“Your Dad said he’d come back later on today by the way. He’s worried about you,” Jack hesitated, before he was pulling his hand away from Ianto’s.
“You know I was so worried that you’d got lost in the Rift, that you were going to come back and I would have to take you to Flat Holm.” Jack looked down at his hands, fidgeting with the end of his sleeve and a loose thread there.
“And then when you did come back, and you were just lying there in amongst the rubble, I suddenly wished that you had come back to me screaming for your mother and mentally beyond salvation, because then at least you’d be alive.” Jack’s voice had a hoarse quality to it now as he continued to pull at the thread, almost trying to unravel his jacket.
“Stop it.” Ianto’s voice was soft as he reached out his good hand, placing it on top of Jack’s fidgeting ones.
“I’m not going to sow it all back together if you unravel it.” Ianto said, grasping Jack’s hands weakly in his now.
“Also stop working yourself up over nothing. I’m still here, mostly unharmed, and not any crazier than I was when I left.” Ianto joked.
Jack looked up at him finally, taking Ianto’s hand in his, that intense look back in his eyes again, finally realising he would have to take the direct approach if he was ever going to get anything out of Ianto.
“What happened to you?”
Ianto took a shuddering breath. “I only remember bits.” He admitted almost sheepishly. He didn’t really want to talk about what had happened, not now, but he could see Jack was looking for some kind of reassurance no matter how hollow.
“I remember being in the street with you and seeing my Mam. She called out to me and I never thought that it was wrong that she was there and alive, all I cared about was getting to her. I could feel her arms around me Jack, and I was five years old again, her smelling like she always does.” Ianto gave a tentative smile. He wasn’t lying. It had been like that, however brief that relief of being loved so unequivocally had lasted.
“Then I don’t know where I was, but it was okay, because my Mam was there.” Ianto paused, his brain flailing a bit as he tried to think of a suitable alternative to what had really happened.
“I know that the other children weren’t there, that Finlay wasn’t there, but I felt safe, like someone was watching out for me.” Ianto lied through his teeth, watching Jack as he seemed to take it all in, not questioning him, which was Ianto’s first tip off that Jack didn’t buy a word he was saying, but he let him continue.
“I didn’t really have a concept of time or place, not until I was spat back out in that warehouse, then the Rift seemed to collapse in on itself, like it was trying to rectify what it had done.” Ianto gave a half shurg.
“Did you see anyone apart from your Mam?” Jack asked eventually when Ianto was no longer forthcoming. Ianto hesitated before he gave a slight shake of his head, his eyes never wavering from Jack’s. Ianto was a skilled liar, had to be with the job he did, but Jack, he knew, could always see right through his façade. He tried not to look away from those startlingly blue eyes as he remembered that little boy staring at him with the same intensity.
Eventually Jack’s hand reached out for Ianto’s again, cupping over it.
“As long as your back safe and sound.” Jack mumbled through a sigh
Saturday 16th August 4.17pm
Owen was curled round Ianto’s plaster cast, holding on with mucky paws, his ears flopping over his upper arm. Gwen could see other signs that Ianto’s nephew had been to visit that morning. There was a card on the bedside table with a drawing of what appeared to be someone in a blue cape, the words ‘Get Well Soon’ scrawled underneath. Gwen smiled as she picked it up, reading the message inside.
“Super Ianto gets to wear Jack’s coat.” Ianto mumbled, startling Gwen as he smiled up at her.
“Is this metaphorically or literally?” Gwen asked as she put the card back, sitting down in the visitor’s chair.
“Metaphorically I think, I don’t think I’ve got the energy to wrestle the coat from Jack.” Ianto replied round a yawn, shifting slightly as he felt the rabbit on his arm, realising he must have fallen asleep before his sister and nephew left.
Gwen laughed. “I’ll get Rhys and his mates to rugby tackle him for you.”
Gwen watched as Ianto reached across his body to pick up Owen the rabbit, regarding him with a critical eye.
“Looks like you’ve got someone looking after you.” Gwen smiled, nodding towards the rabbit.
“I must look bad if Finn left Owen to look after me.” Ianto said, trying to sound like he was joking, but Gwen really couldn’t see the funny side as she took in his appearance. He was a far cry from the usual immaculate Ianto she was used to. His hair was in need of a wash and he had more than a five o’clock shadow on his face now. It wasn’t just the fact he was unkempt though, he looked exhausted even though he’d been asleep nearly the whole weekend, his bruises were starting to turn a sickly yellow colour which Gwen knew meant he was healing but it just made him look jaundiced under the hospital lighting.
“Just as handsome as ever.” Gwen said, a slightly teasing tone to her voice as she picked up Owen from where Ianto had laid him back down on the bed, brushing his fur away from his eyes so he could see out them again.
“You here on your own then?” Ianto enquired, watching Gwen carefully as she continued to stare intently at the rabbit in front of her.
“Yeah,” She admitted after a long pause. “Jack’s been on the phone to UNIT and Whitehall nearly all day. He lacks your diplomacy though. I think he told one official that he was an ‘autocratic pen pusher with a banana shoved up his arse’. There may be some damage control when you get back.” Gwen smiled sheepishly.
Ianto gave a dramatic sigh and roll of the eyes.
“He’s worried about you, you know.” Gwen broke the silence again, still not looking up at Ianto as she adjusted Owen, propping him up against the side of Ianto’s leg so his ears flopped over his eyes.
“He said. Several times, but I keep telling him that I’ll be okay.” Ianto tried to reassure.
Gwen was busy picking invisible pieces of fluff off of the hospital blanket now.
“He says you lied to him about what you remembered.” Gwen voiced again, still avoiding Ianto’s gaze, which gave him reason to believe she’d been told to leave it alone and not question Ianto on it under any circumstances. But when had Gwen Cooper ever listened?
“I did.” Ianto replied. It wasn’t that he couldn’t lie to Gwen, it was just he was tired of lying, and he didn’t want to talk about it. He’d known Jack would see through the tale he had spun, but Jack had needed reassurance instead of a sorrowful, ‘I don’t want to talk about it’. So Ianto had talked, spinning him falsehoods and lies to put Jack at ease because even though Ianto was the one lying in the hospital bed, Jack had been through just as much, if not physically then emotionally. Ianto could see that from how tired Jack looked and how his eyes filled with tears every time he looked at Ianto.
Gwen opened her mouth like she was going to say something, finally looking up at Ianto, with an intense piercing gaze. But instead of protesting she just reached out and grabbed at his hand.
“What happened to me isn’t going to change the world, so I’ll talk when I’m ready.” Ianto said sleepily, squeezing Gwen’s hand back. She gave him a teary nod before she was bending forward to kiss him on the lips, lingering so he felt salty tears moist on his own lips. She pulled back, sniffing slightly and giving him a watery smile before she was changing the subject.
“You’ve not got a lot of signatures on there.” Gwen motioned to Ianto’s cast as he raised it off the bed slightly so she could see where the name Finn stared up at her in bright lime green letters. Gwen giggled.
“There’s pens in the cupboard if you want to lend your artistic abilities to the cause.” Ianto encouraged as Gwen got up from the bed, going to retrieve them.
“Should have brought Rhys with me, he’s a dab hand at drawing stick figures.” Gwen joked as she sat back down again, picking up a red pen from the pile of felt tips Finn had left behind.
“As good as Jack?” Ianto asked, raising his eyebrow slightly before he was lifting his arm again, rotating it so Gwen could see a couple of stick figures nestled in the crook of Ianto’s elbow doing unsavoury things.
“Have the nurses seen that?” Gwen asked as she giggled again.
“One of them came in while he was drawing it, and he was more than happy to explain the logistics of it to her. Thankfully Finn had already drawn on my cast.” Ianto replied sarcastically as Gwen tugged a blue pen from the pile as well.
“I think embarrassing revenge is in order.” Gwen proclaimed as she started to draw a stick figure that resembled Jack on Ianto’s arm, causing him to sigh sleepily.
“You’ll be hanging me in the Louvre by the end of the week.”
This is what Gwen had missed; Ianto’s humour, making the best out of dire situations. This is what she had needed the past week. She just hoped she would never have cause to lose it, or lose him, again.
On to Part 15