Fractured, Part 2
Title: Fractured
Author: tonjavmoore
Artist: cjharknessgirl
Genre: Crossover with Dr. Who
Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 20291
Warnings: None
Summary: Season 2, sometime before Reset. While the rest of the team are hunting Weevils, Ianto Jones disappears from the Hub. When the CCTV shows that the Doctor is responsible, what will Jack do?
The Doctor sat on the floor with his back against the console of the TARDIS. He had left Amy and Rory in the room with Ianto and come here to clear his head. He knew what he had to do next and it was worse than what he had just done. “Are you sure this is the only way?” he asked softly.
The TARDIS responded with warmth and comfort. “Only way,” she whispered in his mind. “The only way to be certain.”
“Jack will hate me. Ianto probably will which means Jack’s hate will be doubled. Martha… I’ll lose Martha as well. She’ll hate me. They all will. Even Donna. If Sarah Jane knew, she would, too.”
“My Lord, hate is another face of love. When their anger has passed, it will be better. And once they understand, they will come back to you.”
“If only Rose were here. But then, if Rose were here, she wouldn’t have allowed this to happen.”
A wave of sorrow passed over him. His ship missed Rose. She probably always would. Rose had carried the heart of the TARDIS within her - they were connected in some way that was beyond his understanding. “Truth, My Lord.”
“Well, I suppose we should get to it then.”
“The fracture point is very soon.”
“You’re certain that you don’t need him in here?”
“In many ways, Ianto Jones is more attuned to this change. He was born into the Rift and My Hero has given him an imprint of the Vortex. He requires only a small push to fully integrate with the All of Time.”
“I didn’t ask…” The Doctor pressed his cheek to the cool of the console metal. “Will it hurt to look at him?”
“This I do not know. He will be unique, as My Hero is unique. Both born human but now different. I do not know.”
“Right.” The Doctor stood and walked to the room where they were keeping Ianto.
Both his Companions were there. He tried to keep up his usual façade, but he could see they were not fooled. “All right now. For this last bit, I’m going to need you two out of here.”
Rory got his healer-stubborn face out. “I’m not leaving my patient alone.”
“He won’t be alone. I’ll be here.”
“Forgive me, sir, but that’s not good enough. This whole thing has been dodgy from the beginning and he’s starting to suffer from the side effects of this long sleep he’s been in. And now you’re going to do something else to him? No, I’m staying.”
One of the things that the Doctor had learned was that Rory could somehow turn himself into a neutronium-heavy statue if he wanted to. He looked at Amy who matched her husband in determination. He changed his plans. “We don’t have time to argue. At least, back away from the bed and get behind something. He may wake up and it is essential that he not see you. Even with the TARDIS helping, he may have vague memories of this. I don’t want to have to wipe you out of his mind. It’s altogether too tricky. It doesn’t matter if he remembers a glimpse of me, but not you.”
They didn’t look happy, but did as he asked. A moment or so later, the walls of the TARDIS began to pulse with a soft golden glow.
Jack watched the new monitor that Tosh had rigged. It was slowly scanning for the presence of perception filters. She and Owen were out driving the SUV through the streets of Cardiff. They had already found two, one near an alien crash site from the previous year and one in an alley under a dumpster. Who knew how long it had been there? That one had been concealing a device that was now on its roundabout way to the Hub in a containment unit. The other filter had not been hiding anything. It was probably detritus left over from the crashed ship. Tosh’s device could not tell what was being hidden by the filter - only its existence.
Martha and Gwen came into the office with takeaway and coffee, and a bottle of water for Jack. He wasn’t drinking coffee. It hurt too much. Gwen passed him some fried rice and said, “It won’t go any faster if you watch it.”
“I know that!” he snapped. He put his hands over his eyes and sighed. “Sorry.”
“We’re all tired, Jack,” Martha said quietly. You’ve been up now for forty-eight hours. Why don’t you lie down? I know you don’t sleep much, but you could at least rest. I’m talking as a doctor as well as your friend.”
“No matter where I am I won’t rest. I know you could sedate me, Martha, but I don’t even think that would work.”
“Jack…?” Gwen sounded reluctant but determined. It was the tone she used when she knew he wouldn’t like what she was going to say. “What are we going to do if the TARDIS doesn’t come back? The Rift has been quiet the last two days, but you know it won’t stay that way. What then?”
It was something Jack had been thinking about since he voiced his worst fear to Martha. He tapped his wrist strap. “This. The Doctor disabled it just before I came back, but Ianto has found some things in the Archives that might help fix it. Tosh and I will work on it as much as we can while we carry on with our regular duties.” He sounded grim to his own ears. “Once it’s fixed, I’m going after the Doctor. I’m going to find out where he’s taken Ianto and I’m going to bring him home. However long it takes I’m bringing Ianto home.”
Martha said, “If that’s what you’re going to do, then you need to rest more than ever. You’re not going to be any good to Ianto if you stress yourself out. Look, why don’t you go to Ianto’s flat and lie down there? Gwen and I will come with and we’ll watch this thing for you. It will be quieter and you might feel better there.” She didn’t add, “With Ianto’s things” but it hung in the air.
Jack thought about flat and how they had spent so many nights there since he’d returned. How more of his belongings had migrated there from the Hub. He could lie on the couch where they watched television and smell Ianto’s scent on the pillow. It was better than cuddling up to the coffee machine at any rate. “All right,” he said. He tapped his comm. “Tosh, Owen, we’re going to Ianto’s for a while. Martha thinks I need to lie down.”
“Martha is right,” Owen replied quickly. “Do you want us to come in? I’m a little tired of cruising.”
“Give it another hour or so, and then knock off for dinner. Call me when you decide to stop.”
“Got it. We’re going to check out Splott and that will give us an excuse to cut it short. God knows what’s in there.”
Jack led Martha and Gwen out to the car park and over to Ianto’s car. “I can drive if you want,” Gwen offered.
“No, thanks.” The Audi was Jack’s gift to Ianto after he and John Ellis had died in the other one. At the time he told Ianto it had come out of the Torchwood funds, but later confessed that he had bought it himself, because the red interior was the colour of his favourite Ianto tie. That had been a fun night, as they had taken the ties out to compare and then found other things to do with them. He tried to clamp down on that train of thought before it overwhelmed him. To soften his rejection a bit, he said, “The driver’s seat is adjusted the way Ianto likes it. Your legs wouldn’t reach the pedals.”
They were nearly at the flat when Tosh spoke in his ear, her voice low and excited. “Jack, I’ve got a small Rift blip. It’s centred at Ianto’s address.”
Jack shoved his foot down on the accelerator causing Gwen and Martha to make noises. “What’s your ETA? We’re there.”
“Owen says four minutes.”
He didn’t bother to park the car - he left it near the door. “Something’s happening,” he called over his shoulder as Gwen and Martha tried to keep up. “Come on!” He flew up the stairs, taking three or four at a time. He heard it as soon as he got to the hallway - that familiar whirring. He drew his Webley, ran to the door and kicked it open. The TARDIS was there and the door was open.
Behind him Martha shouted, “Doctor!”, but Jack wasn’t looking there. His eyes were fixed on the man on the floor. He heard the Doctor say, “He’s just sleeping.” The whirring started again. Jack ignored it as he very carefully lifted Ianto’s head and shoulders into his lap.
He was marginally aware of Martha kneeling beside him and Gwen across. His attention stayed where it was. He ran a trembling hand down Ianto’s cheek. It was warm and he could feel the faint pulsing of blood beneath the skin. “Ianto,” he murmured.
There were flurries of movement near, and then Martha said, “His pulse is a slow normal, and he’s breathing in a deep and regular rhythm. I think he is just asleep, Jack.”
“Can I wake him up?”
“You can try.”
Jack held Ianto closer and shook him gently. “Ianto,” he said louder than before. “Ianto, it’s Jack. Wake up. Please wake up.” As he looked down at the pale face, Jack felt a powerful surge of déjà vu. He was back in the Hub, hiding from the Cyberwoman that had once been Lisa Hallett. Ianto had been so still. Without stopping to consider, Jack kissed him the way he had done then, demanding he wake up, sending his own life force into Ianto to bring him back.
Ianto’s lips moved under his, returning and deepening the kiss. Jack felt the life that he had sent into Ianto rushing back with the force of a hurricane wind and more besides. It whirled around them, a cyclone of life with only themselves in the eye. The incredible beauty of it was almost too much to bear and when they gasped apart, he gazed into the deep azure of Ianto’s open eyes through a mist of tears. “You’re here,” Jack whispered.
“I’m here,” Ianto whispered back to him. “I don’t know…”
He put a finger on Ianto’s lips. “Later. For now, we’re here together.”
Rory caught the Doctor as he staggered back from the doorway. Amy pushed the lever of the console that would automatically take the TARDIS into the void. The trip was rough - the entire ship was shaking and twisting. Rory half-carried, half-dragged the Doctor to the medical bay and propped him against the table. He supported them both as the shudders increased and then nearly fell as the movement suddenly ceased.
Amy ran in. “We’re in the Void,” she said breathlessly. She came to Rory’s side and helped him lift the Doctor onto the table.
His head was thrashing from side to side and Rory tried to contain it. “Pillows,” he said. “I need some pillows.”
Ordinarily the TARDIS would have opened a helpful cabinet, but she was still. So still Rory was afraid she might have completely shut down. The lights were on, however, and the temperature unchanged. He pulled the Doctor’s head to his chest and fished out the syringe the Doctor had given him just before they had dropped Ianto off. He fumbled for the large vein in the Doctor’s neck and gave him the injection.
When Amy returned with the pillows, Rory struggled to keep the Doctor’s head steady as he handled the restraints. Amy helped and between the two of them they got the Doctor into a comfortable position before strapping him in. A minute later the Doctor opened his eyes wide and gasped, “Memories! They’re changing!” His voice was an eerie whine. “It’s not the same…” He trailed off as the sedative took hold.
Rory leaned on the bed and sighed. “Let’s try not to do that again, all right?”
Amy gave him a little smile. “It wasn’t a lot of fun, was it?”
“I’d rather have another run-in with the Vampires of Venice, thank you. He said it would be bad, but he didn’t say it would be this bad.”
“How long?”
“At least seventy-two hours by our clock. After that, I’m supposed to let the sedative wear off and see if he’s coherent. I guess this memory changing stuff is bloody awful for him.”
“Well, we’re okay. We never met these people. Although we might now, I suppose.”
“Let’s cross that bridge later.” He put his hand on the wall of the TARDIS. He could feel the pulse of her as always but it was faint and unsteady. “I think she needs the rest as much as he does. I don’t have a drug to help her though. I’m not even sure what’s in the one the Doctor made a batch of.”
She walked over to him and slid her arms around his waist. “Sweetheart,” she said solemnly, “you’re knackered. You need to sleep. I know you don’t want to leave him alone, so how about this? I’ll get our mattress and we can stay in here.”
Rory leaned over to kiss his wife properly. “If I haven’t told you so lately, I’m doing it now. You’re brilliant and I love you.”
Her grin was smug. “I am and I know. Love you, too. All right, be back in a jiff.”
Ianto was resting. He’d felt as though the world was swirling around him in a kaleidoscope of shapes, colours, and sounds until he’d come back to the solid reality of Jack’s kiss. Since that moment, keeping hold of Jack was the only thing that kept him earthbound. Everything was still out of focus, blurred at the edges. Voices, other than Jack’s, seemed to be shouted from far away and he was so relieved to have Jack there grounding him.
Other than answering the few questions that Jack put to him, Ianto had been strangely content to have Jack make the decisions around him. He knew that he should have insisted that he be allowed to see to himself, but truly, he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to. Resting seemed to be the only thing he could do with any success. That was how he came to be lying in his bed wearing Jack’s favourite pair of red pyjamas with Jack half-reclining beside him, while the two doctors examined him from head to toe for the third time.
He hadn’t met Martha Jones before now, but he knew her from Jack’s stories of the year that had been wiped away by the destruction of the paradox. Her voice was pleasant when he could actually hear it and when he looked at her, Ianto could tell that she had a nice shape. Only her smile was really clear to him, though. That was lovely.
“Owen,” Jack said from somewhere above him, “when are you going to stop going over his feet? Have you developed a fetish?”
Ianto heard the response as though Owen were in another room. “Cork it, Captain. You wanted us to check him out. We’re checking. Thoroughly.”
“I didn’t mean map his footprints by hand,” Jack grumbled. Ianto looked up at him. There was a smile on Jack’s face in spite of his complaining. He must have felt Ianto move because he looked down. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty.”
“No castle, no thorns, not asleep, and not beautiful,” Ianto replied softly, trying for his usual snark.
“Humour me. I’ve had a rough week.” Jack said, smiling. He cupped Ianto’s cheek with gentle fingers. “We’ll discuss my personal definition of beauty when we’re alone.”
Ianto turned his head and pressed a kiss to Jack’s palm. There was noise at the end of the bed. “…Again!” That was Martha. Ianto was relieved his head seemed to be clearing up.
“What?” Jack not-quite barked.
Owen - it was definitely Owen now, instead of a blurry humanoid shape - came up to the head of the bed. “Ianto, what did you just do?”
“What’s wrong?” This time Jack didn’t snap. He sounded worried.
“Could be nothing. Stop fussing. As far as we can tell, Ianto’s healthy, just a little disoriented. Ianto, were you lying still just now, while Jack was talking to you? Did you move?”
Ianto could feel his cheeks getting warm. “I… er… I…”
“He kissed my hand, Owen. Is that what you want to know?”
“Spare me the sordid details, please. We’re just trying to track down an anomaly.” He held up a hand. “Nothing dangerous, Jack. Just a bit odd.”
Jack’s hand closed over Ianto’s. Martha came around the bed to show Owen something. She looked like a woman now to Ianto. He was glad to see that. “Did you get it, too?” she asked Owen.
“Yep.” Owen took a deep breath. “Okay, boys and girls, Uncle Owen and Aunt Martha need to make sure what they’re seeing is really what they’re seeing.” He raised his voice to be heard in the other room. “Gwen, Tosh, come in here, please. Leave your toys out there.”
Ianto sighed inwardly. It hadn’t been completely private before, but now he felt like his bedroom had become a meeting hall. It wasn’t exactly designed to hold six adults, even with two of them on the bed. Whatever this was, he wanted Owen to get on with it so that he and Jack could be alone.
When Tosh came in she gave him a bright smile. Her voice sounded right, too. “You’re looking better.”
Gwen came to the side of the bed and patted his shoulder gently. “Nice jammies.”
Ianto tried smiling back at her and it worked. “Not what I’d recommend for a Weevil hunt, but they’re comfortable.” He thought it over and looked up at Jack. “That was not a suggestion.”
“But just think how hot you would look…”
Owen interrupted. “Let’s get started. Ianto, stay where you are. Jack, let him go and move away.”
“No.” Ianto’s voice was a mild protest, but Jack’s was an adamant refusal.
“I’ve got to get a reading on Ianto alone.” Owen was patient. “You don’t have to get off the bed. Just move away about a foot, and let go of him.”
Ianto didn’t want to let go of Jack and it was obvious that Jack was not happy. He moved slowly and kept Ianto’s hand in his. Finally, he said to Owen, “Make this quick,” and pulled away.
At least the disorienting feeling didn’t come back. Ianto watched Owen as he and Martha compared scanners. After a bit, Owen said, “All right, Gwen, hold Ianto’s hand.” While Gwen did so, the comparison was done again. “Tosh, it’s your turn. Hold his hand.”
Gwen backed away and Tosh took her place. She put her small hand over Ianto’s and squeezed. “I’m so relieved you’re back.”
“All right,” Owen said. “Don’t let go of his hand. Kiss his cheek. Gently.”
He heard Jack clear his throat. Or perhaps it was a low growl. Either way he didn’t sound pleased. “Chill, Harkness. I didn’t tell her to jump his bones. Thanks, Tosh. You and Gwen are the controls. Now, the experiment.”
Ianto opened his eyes and focused on Owen. “What are you doing?”
“We’re getting a funny reading here,” Martha explained. “It’s not dangerous, just odd. We’re trying to quantify it.”
“You’re sure he’s okay?” Jack asked again, sharpish.
“Yes, for the twentieth time. We should all be so healthy. Ianto, you’re a little under your ideal weight, but you’ve been like that since I’ve been your doctor. You’re not skinny.”
With a low laugh, Jack murmured, “I can attest to that. Perfect round…”
“Jesus, Jack, I said spare me. This is weird enough without you adding your brand of humour to it. Okay now, I want you - without moving closer - to take hold of Ianto’s hand.”
Ianto reached out and Jack intertwined their fingers. “Stay right like that.” Owen and Martha again compared scanners. “Now, can you resist your base instincts enough to just kiss Ianto’s cheek? Like Martha said, gently.”
“You’re the boss for now.”
Jack moved very slowly, keeping his body carefully still. He whispered, “You’re so cute when you blush.” His lips caressed Ianto’s cheek. Ianto closed his eyes to enjoy it. If this was what being a test subject was like, he would volunteer again.
Once again readings were compared. Tosh was looking at the scanners now, her brows knitted. Owen sighed and rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but how about a full-blown lip lock. Can you manage that, kids?”
“I think I remember how, Owen,” Ianto said. “I’m a little woozy, not incapacitated.”
“Please get it over with. I’d close my eyes, but I need to watch this thing.”
He and Jack grinned at each other. “Prepare yourself, Jones, Ianto Jones. He said, ‘full-blown’.”
Ianto ignored the audience and concentrated on kissing Jack, as he described, “full-blown.” As always, Jack kisses were like a smooth sweet wine that went right to his head. He forgot the others were there and let himself drift in the sensation. Only when Gwen whistled softly and said, “Guys, that was hot,” did he come back to reality.
Jack scooted closer and slid his arms around Ianto. “We’ll continue this later,” he said, and Ianto nodded, definitely amenable to the idea. Of course, provided the spectators had left. He was willing to be a test subject, but exhibitionism was not his style.
Martha and Owen were both studying scanners. “Well, that confirms it,” Owen said. “Jack, you and your lover boy here are giving off energy that looks like, but isn’t, the Rift. Neither one of you does it alone, but when you’re touching there’s a definite rise in the level. That kiss nearly took you to the top of the scale. I don’t want to go into it until we’ve run some more tests, but it’s definitely out of the ordinary.”
Ianto frowned. “Energy? You mean we glow in the dark?”
Martha smiled. “There’s an idea. Tosh, close the curtains, please. Gwen, would you switch off the lights?”
Gwen did as Martha asked and Ianto gasped as he looked down at their joined hands. It was faint, but there was a golden light. By mutual consent, they let go. The glow disappeared. When they touched, it came back. It didn’t light up the room, just played across the skin where they were touching. “What is it, Jack?” Ianto asked, making an effort to keep his voice steady. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”
“Never.” Ianto heard Jack swallow. “Are you sure it’s not dangerous?” he asked again.
“Not physically,” Owen said. “Your vitals don’t change at all. Oh, yeah, your hearts sped up a little during your demonstration, but I’m taking that as a normal by-product. Without the… er… lip contact, it doesn’t affect you at all. Gwen, turn on the lights. We’ll do some more tests tomorrow at the Hub. Better equipment there. For now, don’t worry. It’s just something weird. Weird is normal for us, right?”
The tenth version of the Doctor followed his current companion, Donna Noble, into the TARDIS. “Any idea where you’d like to go next?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Donna replied. “It’ll be hard to top Midnight for rest and relaxation.”
“For you.”
“I didn’t go haring off on a tour, Space Man. You did. Not my fault if you run into monsters on your own.” She looked at him critically. “You should have taken time to get a haircut, at least. Get yourself a new suit, buy some decent shoes…”
The Doctor frowned. “There is nothing wrong with my hair.” He looked down at his red trainers. “Or my shoes. I like my shoes. They’re…”
The TARDIS interrupted with a series of flashes. To the Doctor it sounded as though she were distressed. “What’s wrong, old girl?” he asked, stroking the console.
“This screen over here says you have voice mail.” Donna sounded dubious. “How do you get a phone call out here?”
“Must be Martha Jones. Hell of a Companion, Martha. I think you two would get along quite well. She saved the Universe, but you wouldn’t remember that. Forget I mentioned it. We visited Shakespeare once…”
“Don’t you think you should check the message?” Donna said, cutting him off in mid-sentence.
People were always doing that. Didn’t they know he had lots of things to say? Of course, maybe he should check. Martha wouldn’t call for anything trivial. She had a good head on her shoulders. Calm and collected, that was Martha.
“Well?” demanded Donna, sounding more than a touch annoyed.
The Doctor snapped out of his reverie. “Oh. Right. Play it for us, would you?”
There was a series of beeps and then a voice said: “You have thirty one new messages. First message from Dr. Martha Jones.”
It was indeed Martha’s voice. She sounded both alarmed and angry. “Doctor, what is going on? I just talked to Jack. He’s frantic. What have you done with Ianto? You take him back to Cardiff right now.”
“Next new message.”
“I’m on the train to Cardiff. Call me. Jack sounds worried sick. Where is Ianto? Call me back or get your arse here. And bring Ianto with you.”
“Next new message”
“Doctor, you’d better have a good excuse for this. You know what Ianto means to Jack, or you would if you ever stopped talking and listened. You’d better get him back to Jack safe and sound, or I’m not sure what will happen. Where the hell are you? Answer the phone!”
“Next new message.”
“Stop!” The Doctor was baffled. What had happened?
Donna started asking questions. “What’s she talking about? Who is Jack? Who is Ianto? Why does she think you know anything about what’s going on?”
He tried to get his thoughts in order. Martha’s voice was grimmer with each message. Obviously something bad had happened, but he had no idea what. He asked the TARDIS, “Can you get a time and location on her last phone call? Take us there, please.”
With a sigh, he turned to Donna. “Jack is Captain Jack Harkness. Ever heard of Torchwood? He runs it. He has a team. Ianto Jones is a member of his team. Jack was missing him in particular when he was travelling with me. Jack didn’t want to travel. He wanted to go home. So, I took him to Cardiff. Well, I think I took him there. Might have been London. Can’t remember. I haven’t seen him since.”
She crossed her arms and gave him the once over. “Looks like this Ianto person has gone missing and they think you had something to do with it. You didn’t, did you?”
“Of course not.” The Doctor shook his head. “Let’s go through the rest of the messages and see if anything makes sense. The TARDIS will get us there as soon as she can.”
Jack was indulging in one of his favourite pastimes: watching Ianto sleep. Ianto had caught him at it several times, and Jack made no apologies. It was a measure of the trust that existed between them now. That trust had been tested so many times and yet remained, solid and sure.
Ianto was his stronghold, his anchor, his lover, and his friend. Jack tried to be all those things for Ianto. It could be difficult, Jack had been told, to be in love with your best friend, but for them, it had not been a problem. They still fought - loud blazing rows - because they were two different people, but they seldom stayed angry for long. The fun of making up outweighed the effort of holding a grudge.
Ianto stirred and Jack reached to lightly caress his cheek. He was getting used to the strange glow that surrounded their touches. Ianto settled more comfortably. Jack knew at least part of what was happening in his lover’s complicated mind: he was trying to regain memories of the time he had lost. One of the curses of an eidetic memory was that there should be no gaps. Ianto could remember things that happened while he was sleeping; at least enough to know that time had passed so sleeping itself did not cause the problem. It was when Ianto was drugged or unconscious that his brain protested. Jack had gotten into the habit of explaining just what had occurred once Ianto woke up to account for his missing hours. If he wasn’t there or didn’t know, Tosh would do it.
It was hard to resist the temptation to wake Ianto up. He knew it was selfish, but he’d been so frightened. Bone-deep terrified, if he was honest with himself. So he watched, listening to the steady breathing and feeling the rhythmic pulse of the heartbeat that belonged to the man he was so unexpectedly in love with.
When Ianto spoke, Jack almost jumped. “I’m still here, Jack. Not evaporating.” Those dark blue eyes that Jack could lose himself in opened. “See?”
Jack smiled at him. “Can’t stop looking at you. You know that. Did you remember anything more?”
Ianto shook his head. “Not much. Some voices. Lights. I think someone took my pulse a few times.” He frowned. “What could have happened, Jack? What would the Doctor want with me? And why did he abduct me?”
Jack sighed and pulled his lover into his arms, rolling so that he could feel the slight scratch of Ianto’s stubble on his chest. He didn’t look to see if that caused the glow to show up. It was more important to feel Ianto tucked safely against his side. “I don’t know, ami tuniav. I was afraid he had taken you away because I told you about that year. That would be like him. He never cares whether he hurts me or not. I wasn’t afraid that he’d harm you - just that I might never see you again.”
“You would have found me wherever I’d been taken, ami munuar.”
Jack loved to hear his native language with Ianto’s gorgeous accent. They used those instead of the equivalent English: “my dearest” and “my heart”. Ianto thought they sounded too girly in English or in Welsh, but speaking a completely different language made them acceptable somehow. Jack didn’t exactly understand how they were different in Ianto’s head, but he was quite happy to get Ianto to speak the language of his childhood, as much as he could remember. It had been a long time since he’d been a child.
“I was going to fix my Vortex Manipulator and come after you. After I had you safe, I was going to find the Doctor and beat him to a pulp. You bring out my primitive streak.”
He felt Ianto’s chuckle. “I quite like your primitive streak. On occasion. Perhaps now would be a good time to exercise it.”
“You sure?”
“Right now, I’d like to be welcomed home. The best way.”
Jack eagerly complied.
Author: tonjavmoore
Artist: cjharknessgirl
Genre: Crossover with Dr. Who
Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 20291
Warnings: None
Summary: Season 2, sometime before Reset. While the rest of the team are hunting Weevils, Ianto Jones disappears from the Hub. When the CCTV shows that the Doctor is responsible, what will Jack do?
The Doctor sat on the floor with his back against the console of the TARDIS. He had left Amy and Rory in the room with Ianto and come here to clear his head. He knew what he had to do next and it was worse than what he had just done. “Are you sure this is the only way?” he asked softly.
The TARDIS responded with warmth and comfort. “Only way,” she whispered in his mind. “The only way to be certain.”
“Jack will hate me. Ianto probably will which means Jack’s hate will be doubled. Martha… I’ll lose Martha as well. She’ll hate me. They all will. Even Donna. If Sarah Jane knew, she would, too.”
“My Lord, hate is another face of love. When their anger has passed, it will be better. And once they understand, they will come back to you.”
“If only Rose were here. But then, if Rose were here, she wouldn’t have allowed this to happen.”
A wave of sorrow passed over him. His ship missed Rose. She probably always would. Rose had carried the heart of the TARDIS within her - they were connected in some way that was beyond his understanding. “Truth, My Lord.”
“Well, I suppose we should get to it then.”
“The fracture point is very soon.”
“You’re certain that you don’t need him in here?”
“In many ways, Ianto Jones is more attuned to this change. He was born into the Rift and My Hero has given him an imprint of the Vortex. He requires only a small push to fully integrate with the All of Time.”
“I didn’t ask…” The Doctor pressed his cheek to the cool of the console metal. “Will it hurt to look at him?”
“This I do not know. He will be unique, as My Hero is unique. Both born human but now different. I do not know.”
“Right.” The Doctor stood and walked to the room where they were keeping Ianto.
Both his Companions were there. He tried to keep up his usual façade, but he could see they were not fooled. “All right now. For this last bit, I’m going to need you two out of here.”
Rory got his healer-stubborn face out. “I’m not leaving my patient alone.”
“He won’t be alone. I’ll be here.”
“Forgive me, sir, but that’s not good enough. This whole thing has been dodgy from the beginning and he’s starting to suffer from the side effects of this long sleep he’s been in. And now you’re going to do something else to him? No, I’m staying.”
One of the things that the Doctor had learned was that Rory could somehow turn himself into a neutronium-heavy statue if he wanted to. He looked at Amy who matched her husband in determination. He changed his plans. “We don’t have time to argue. At least, back away from the bed and get behind something. He may wake up and it is essential that he not see you. Even with the TARDIS helping, he may have vague memories of this. I don’t want to have to wipe you out of his mind. It’s altogether too tricky. It doesn’t matter if he remembers a glimpse of me, but not you.”
They didn’t look happy, but did as he asked. A moment or so later, the walls of the TARDIS began to pulse with a soft golden glow.
Jack watched the new monitor that Tosh had rigged. It was slowly scanning for the presence of perception filters. She and Owen were out driving the SUV through the streets of Cardiff. They had already found two, one near an alien crash site from the previous year and one in an alley under a dumpster. Who knew how long it had been there? That one had been concealing a device that was now on its roundabout way to the Hub in a containment unit. The other filter had not been hiding anything. It was probably detritus left over from the crashed ship. Tosh’s device could not tell what was being hidden by the filter - only its existence.
Martha and Gwen came into the office with takeaway and coffee, and a bottle of water for Jack. He wasn’t drinking coffee. It hurt too much. Gwen passed him some fried rice and said, “It won’t go any faster if you watch it.”
“I know that!” he snapped. He put his hands over his eyes and sighed. “Sorry.”
“We’re all tired, Jack,” Martha said quietly. You’ve been up now for forty-eight hours. Why don’t you lie down? I know you don’t sleep much, but you could at least rest. I’m talking as a doctor as well as your friend.”
“No matter where I am I won’t rest. I know you could sedate me, Martha, but I don’t even think that would work.”
“Jack…?” Gwen sounded reluctant but determined. It was the tone she used when she knew he wouldn’t like what she was going to say. “What are we going to do if the TARDIS doesn’t come back? The Rift has been quiet the last two days, but you know it won’t stay that way. What then?”
It was something Jack had been thinking about since he voiced his worst fear to Martha. He tapped his wrist strap. “This. The Doctor disabled it just before I came back, but Ianto has found some things in the Archives that might help fix it. Tosh and I will work on it as much as we can while we carry on with our regular duties.” He sounded grim to his own ears. “Once it’s fixed, I’m going after the Doctor. I’m going to find out where he’s taken Ianto and I’m going to bring him home. However long it takes I’m bringing Ianto home.”
Martha said, “If that’s what you’re going to do, then you need to rest more than ever. You’re not going to be any good to Ianto if you stress yourself out. Look, why don’t you go to Ianto’s flat and lie down there? Gwen and I will come with and we’ll watch this thing for you. It will be quieter and you might feel better there.” She didn’t add, “With Ianto’s things” but it hung in the air.
Jack thought about flat and how they had spent so many nights there since he’d returned. How more of his belongings had migrated there from the Hub. He could lie on the couch where they watched television and smell Ianto’s scent on the pillow. It was better than cuddling up to the coffee machine at any rate. “All right,” he said. He tapped his comm. “Tosh, Owen, we’re going to Ianto’s for a while. Martha thinks I need to lie down.”
“Martha is right,” Owen replied quickly. “Do you want us to come in? I’m a little tired of cruising.”
“Give it another hour or so, and then knock off for dinner. Call me when you decide to stop.”
“Got it. We’re going to check out Splott and that will give us an excuse to cut it short. God knows what’s in there.”
Jack led Martha and Gwen out to the car park and over to Ianto’s car. “I can drive if you want,” Gwen offered.
“No, thanks.” The Audi was Jack’s gift to Ianto after he and John Ellis had died in the other one. At the time he told Ianto it had come out of the Torchwood funds, but later confessed that he had bought it himself, because the red interior was the colour of his favourite Ianto tie. That had been a fun night, as they had taken the ties out to compare and then found other things to do with them. He tried to clamp down on that train of thought before it overwhelmed him. To soften his rejection a bit, he said, “The driver’s seat is adjusted the way Ianto likes it. Your legs wouldn’t reach the pedals.”
They were nearly at the flat when Tosh spoke in his ear, her voice low and excited. “Jack, I’ve got a small Rift blip. It’s centred at Ianto’s address.”
Jack shoved his foot down on the accelerator causing Gwen and Martha to make noises. “What’s your ETA? We’re there.”
“Owen says four minutes.”
He didn’t bother to park the car - he left it near the door. “Something’s happening,” he called over his shoulder as Gwen and Martha tried to keep up. “Come on!” He flew up the stairs, taking three or four at a time. He heard it as soon as he got to the hallway - that familiar whirring. He drew his Webley, ran to the door and kicked it open. The TARDIS was there and the door was open.
Behind him Martha shouted, “Doctor!”, but Jack wasn’t looking there. His eyes were fixed on the man on the floor. He heard the Doctor say, “He’s just sleeping.” The whirring started again. Jack ignored it as he very carefully lifted Ianto’s head and shoulders into his lap.
He was marginally aware of Martha kneeling beside him and Gwen across. His attention stayed where it was. He ran a trembling hand down Ianto’s cheek. It was warm and he could feel the faint pulsing of blood beneath the skin. “Ianto,” he murmured.
There were flurries of movement near, and then Martha said, “His pulse is a slow normal, and he’s breathing in a deep and regular rhythm. I think he is just asleep, Jack.”
“Can I wake him up?”
“You can try.”
Jack held Ianto closer and shook him gently. “Ianto,” he said louder than before. “Ianto, it’s Jack. Wake up. Please wake up.” As he looked down at the pale face, Jack felt a powerful surge of déjà vu. He was back in the Hub, hiding from the Cyberwoman that had once been Lisa Hallett. Ianto had been so still. Without stopping to consider, Jack kissed him the way he had done then, demanding he wake up, sending his own life force into Ianto to bring him back.
Ianto’s lips moved under his, returning and deepening the kiss. Jack felt the life that he had sent into Ianto rushing back with the force of a hurricane wind and more besides. It whirled around them, a cyclone of life with only themselves in the eye. The incredible beauty of it was almost too much to bear and when they gasped apart, he gazed into the deep azure of Ianto’s open eyes through a mist of tears. “You’re here,” Jack whispered.
“I’m here,” Ianto whispered back to him. “I don’t know…”
He put a finger on Ianto’s lips. “Later. For now, we’re here together.”
Rory caught the Doctor as he staggered back from the doorway. Amy pushed the lever of the console that would automatically take the TARDIS into the void. The trip was rough - the entire ship was shaking and twisting. Rory half-carried, half-dragged the Doctor to the medical bay and propped him against the table. He supported them both as the shudders increased and then nearly fell as the movement suddenly ceased.
Amy ran in. “We’re in the Void,” she said breathlessly. She came to Rory’s side and helped him lift the Doctor onto the table.
His head was thrashing from side to side and Rory tried to contain it. “Pillows,” he said. “I need some pillows.”
Ordinarily the TARDIS would have opened a helpful cabinet, but she was still. So still Rory was afraid she might have completely shut down. The lights were on, however, and the temperature unchanged. He pulled the Doctor’s head to his chest and fished out the syringe the Doctor had given him just before they had dropped Ianto off. He fumbled for the large vein in the Doctor’s neck and gave him the injection.
When Amy returned with the pillows, Rory struggled to keep the Doctor’s head steady as he handled the restraints. Amy helped and between the two of them they got the Doctor into a comfortable position before strapping him in. A minute later the Doctor opened his eyes wide and gasped, “Memories! They’re changing!” His voice was an eerie whine. “It’s not the same…” He trailed off as the sedative took hold.
Rory leaned on the bed and sighed. “Let’s try not to do that again, all right?”
Amy gave him a little smile. “It wasn’t a lot of fun, was it?”
“I’d rather have another run-in with the Vampires of Venice, thank you. He said it would be bad, but he didn’t say it would be this bad.”
“How long?”
“At least seventy-two hours by our clock. After that, I’m supposed to let the sedative wear off and see if he’s coherent. I guess this memory changing stuff is bloody awful for him.”
“Well, we’re okay. We never met these people. Although we might now, I suppose.”
“Let’s cross that bridge later.” He put his hand on the wall of the TARDIS. He could feel the pulse of her as always but it was faint and unsteady. “I think she needs the rest as much as he does. I don’t have a drug to help her though. I’m not even sure what’s in the one the Doctor made a batch of.”
She walked over to him and slid her arms around his waist. “Sweetheart,” she said solemnly, “you’re knackered. You need to sleep. I know you don’t want to leave him alone, so how about this? I’ll get our mattress and we can stay in here.”
Rory leaned over to kiss his wife properly. “If I haven’t told you so lately, I’m doing it now. You’re brilliant and I love you.”
Her grin was smug. “I am and I know. Love you, too. All right, be back in a jiff.”
Ianto was resting. He’d felt as though the world was swirling around him in a kaleidoscope of shapes, colours, and sounds until he’d come back to the solid reality of Jack’s kiss. Since that moment, keeping hold of Jack was the only thing that kept him earthbound. Everything was still out of focus, blurred at the edges. Voices, other than Jack’s, seemed to be shouted from far away and he was so relieved to have Jack there grounding him.
Other than answering the few questions that Jack put to him, Ianto had been strangely content to have Jack make the decisions around him. He knew that he should have insisted that he be allowed to see to himself, but truly, he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to. Resting seemed to be the only thing he could do with any success. That was how he came to be lying in his bed wearing Jack’s favourite pair of red pyjamas with Jack half-reclining beside him, while the two doctors examined him from head to toe for the third time.
He hadn’t met Martha Jones before now, but he knew her from Jack’s stories of the year that had been wiped away by the destruction of the paradox. Her voice was pleasant when he could actually hear it and when he looked at her, Ianto could tell that she had a nice shape. Only her smile was really clear to him, though. That was lovely.
“Owen,” Jack said from somewhere above him, “when are you going to stop going over his feet? Have you developed a fetish?”
Ianto heard the response as though Owen were in another room. “Cork it, Captain. You wanted us to check him out. We’re checking. Thoroughly.”
“I didn’t mean map his footprints by hand,” Jack grumbled. Ianto looked up at him. There was a smile on Jack’s face in spite of his complaining. He must have felt Ianto move because he looked down. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty.”
“No castle, no thorns, not asleep, and not beautiful,” Ianto replied softly, trying for his usual snark.
“Humour me. I’ve had a rough week.” Jack said, smiling. He cupped Ianto’s cheek with gentle fingers. “We’ll discuss my personal definition of beauty when we’re alone.”
Ianto turned his head and pressed a kiss to Jack’s palm. There was noise at the end of the bed. “…Again!” That was Martha. Ianto was relieved his head seemed to be clearing up.
“What?” Jack not-quite barked.
Owen - it was definitely Owen now, instead of a blurry humanoid shape - came up to the head of the bed. “Ianto, what did you just do?”
“What’s wrong?” This time Jack didn’t snap. He sounded worried.
“Could be nothing. Stop fussing. As far as we can tell, Ianto’s healthy, just a little disoriented. Ianto, were you lying still just now, while Jack was talking to you? Did you move?”
Ianto could feel his cheeks getting warm. “I… er… I…”
“He kissed my hand, Owen. Is that what you want to know?”
“Spare me the sordid details, please. We’re just trying to track down an anomaly.” He held up a hand. “Nothing dangerous, Jack. Just a bit odd.”
Jack’s hand closed over Ianto’s. Martha came around the bed to show Owen something. She looked like a woman now to Ianto. He was glad to see that. “Did you get it, too?” she asked Owen.
“Yep.” Owen took a deep breath. “Okay, boys and girls, Uncle Owen and Aunt Martha need to make sure what they’re seeing is really what they’re seeing.” He raised his voice to be heard in the other room. “Gwen, Tosh, come in here, please. Leave your toys out there.”
Ianto sighed inwardly. It hadn’t been completely private before, but now he felt like his bedroom had become a meeting hall. It wasn’t exactly designed to hold six adults, even with two of them on the bed. Whatever this was, he wanted Owen to get on with it so that he and Jack could be alone.
When Tosh came in she gave him a bright smile. Her voice sounded right, too. “You’re looking better.”
Gwen came to the side of the bed and patted his shoulder gently. “Nice jammies.”
Ianto tried smiling back at her and it worked. “Not what I’d recommend for a Weevil hunt, but they’re comfortable.” He thought it over and looked up at Jack. “That was not a suggestion.”
“But just think how hot you would look…”
Owen interrupted. “Let’s get started. Ianto, stay where you are. Jack, let him go and move away.”
“No.” Ianto’s voice was a mild protest, but Jack’s was an adamant refusal.
“I’ve got to get a reading on Ianto alone.” Owen was patient. “You don’t have to get off the bed. Just move away about a foot, and let go of him.”
Ianto didn’t want to let go of Jack and it was obvious that Jack was not happy. He moved slowly and kept Ianto’s hand in his. Finally, he said to Owen, “Make this quick,” and pulled away.
At least the disorienting feeling didn’t come back. Ianto watched Owen as he and Martha compared scanners. After a bit, Owen said, “All right, Gwen, hold Ianto’s hand.” While Gwen did so, the comparison was done again. “Tosh, it’s your turn. Hold his hand.”
Gwen backed away and Tosh took her place. She put her small hand over Ianto’s and squeezed. “I’m so relieved you’re back.”
“All right,” Owen said. “Don’t let go of his hand. Kiss his cheek. Gently.”
He heard Jack clear his throat. Or perhaps it was a low growl. Either way he didn’t sound pleased. “Chill, Harkness. I didn’t tell her to jump his bones. Thanks, Tosh. You and Gwen are the controls. Now, the experiment.”
Ianto opened his eyes and focused on Owen. “What are you doing?”
“We’re getting a funny reading here,” Martha explained. “It’s not dangerous, just odd. We’re trying to quantify it.”
“You’re sure he’s okay?” Jack asked again, sharpish.
“Yes, for the twentieth time. We should all be so healthy. Ianto, you’re a little under your ideal weight, but you’ve been like that since I’ve been your doctor. You’re not skinny.”
With a low laugh, Jack murmured, “I can attest to that. Perfect round…”
“Jesus, Jack, I said spare me. This is weird enough without you adding your brand of humour to it. Okay now, I want you - without moving closer - to take hold of Ianto’s hand.”
Ianto reached out and Jack intertwined their fingers. “Stay right like that.” Owen and Martha again compared scanners. “Now, can you resist your base instincts enough to just kiss Ianto’s cheek? Like Martha said, gently.”
“You’re the boss for now.”
Jack moved very slowly, keeping his body carefully still. He whispered, “You’re so cute when you blush.” His lips caressed Ianto’s cheek. Ianto closed his eyes to enjoy it. If this was what being a test subject was like, he would volunteer again.
Once again readings were compared. Tosh was looking at the scanners now, her brows knitted. Owen sighed and rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but how about a full-blown lip lock. Can you manage that, kids?”
“I think I remember how, Owen,” Ianto said. “I’m a little woozy, not incapacitated.”
“Please get it over with. I’d close my eyes, but I need to watch this thing.”
He and Jack grinned at each other. “Prepare yourself, Jones, Ianto Jones. He said, ‘full-blown’.”
Ianto ignored the audience and concentrated on kissing Jack, as he described, “full-blown.” As always, Jack kisses were like a smooth sweet wine that went right to his head. He forgot the others were there and let himself drift in the sensation. Only when Gwen whistled softly and said, “Guys, that was hot,” did he come back to reality.
Jack scooted closer and slid his arms around Ianto. “We’ll continue this later,” he said, and Ianto nodded, definitely amenable to the idea. Of course, provided the spectators had left. He was willing to be a test subject, but exhibitionism was not his style.
Martha and Owen were both studying scanners. “Well, that confirms it,” Owen said. “Jack, you and your lover boy here are giving off energy that looks like, but isn’t, the Rift. Neither one of you does it alone, but when you’re touching there’s a definite rise in the level. That kiss nearly took you to the top of the scale. I don’t want to go into it until we’ve run some more tests, but it’s definitely out of the ordinary.”
Ianto frowned. “Energy? You mean we glow in the dark?”
Martha smiled. “There’s an idea. Tosh, close the curtains, please. Gwen, would you switch off the lights?”
Gwen did as Martha asked and Ianto gasped as he looked down at their joined hands. It was faint, but there was a golden light. By mutual consent, they let go. The glow disappeared. When they touched, it came back. It didn’t light up the room, just played across the skin where they were touching. “What is it, Jack?” Ianto asked, making an effort to keep his voice steady. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”
“Never.” Ianto heard Jack swallow. “Are you sure it’s not dangerous?” he asked again.
“Not physically,” Owen said. “Your vitals don’t change at all. Oh, yeah, your hearts sped up a little during your demonstration, but I’m taking that as a normal by-product. Without the… er… lip contact, it doesn’t affect you at all. Gwen, turn on the lights. We’ll do some more tests tomorrow at the Hub. Better equipment there. For now, don’t worry. It’s just something weird. Weird is normal for us, right?”
The tenth version of the Doctor followed his current companion, Donna Noble, into the TARDIS. “Any idea where you’d like to go next?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Donna replied. “It’ll be hard to top Midnight for rest and relaxation.”
“For you.”
“I didn’t go haring off on a tour, Space Man. You did. Not my fault if you run into monsters on your own.” She looked at him critically. “You should have taken time to get a haircut, at least. Get yourself a new suit, buy some decent shoes…”
The Doctor frowned. “There is nothing wrong with my hair.” He looked down at his red trainers. “Or my shoes. I like my shoes. They’re…”
The TARDIS interrupted with a series of flashes. To the Doctor it sounded as though she were distressed. “What’s wrong, old girl?” he asked, stroking the console.
“This screen over here says you have voice mail.” Donna sounded dubious. “How do you get a phone call out here?”
“Must be Martha Jones. Hell of a Companion, Martha. I think you two would get along quite well. She saved the Universe, but you wouldn’t remember that. Forget I mentioned it. We visited Shakespeare once…”
“Don’t you think you should check the message?” Donna said, cutting him off in mid-sentence.
People were always doing that. Didn’t they know he had lots of things to say? Of course, maybe he should check. Martha wouldn’t call for anything trivial. She had a good head on her shoulders. Calm and collected, that was Martha.
“Well?” demanded Donna, sounding more than a touch annoyed.
The Doctor snapped out of his reverie. “Oh. Right. Play it for us, would you?”
There was a series of beeps and then a voice said: “You have thirty one new messages. First message from Dr. Martha Jones.”
It was indeed Martha’s voice. She sounded both alarmed and angry. “Doctor, what is going on? I just talked to Jack. He’s frantic. What have you done with Ianto? You take him back to Cardiff right now.”
“Next new message.”
“I’m on the train to Cardiff. Call me. Jack sounds worried sick. Where is Ianto? Call me back or get your arse here. And bring Ianto with you.”
“Next new message”
“Doctor, you’d better have a good excuse for this. You know what Ianto means to Jack, or you would if you ever stopped talking and listened. You’d better get him back to Jack safe and sound, or I’m not sure what will happen. Where the hell are you? Answer the phone!”
“Next new message.”
“Stop!” The Doctor was baffled. What had happened?
Donna started asking questions. “What’s she talking about? Who is Jack? Who is Ianto? Why does she think you know anything about what’s going on?”
He tried to get his thoughts in order. Martha’s voice was grimmer with each message. Obviously something bad had happened, but he had no idea what. He asked the TARDIS, “Can you get a time and location on her last phone call? Take us there, please.”
With a sigh, he turned to Donna. “Jack is Captain Jack Harkness. Ever heard of Torchwood? He runs it. He has a team. Ianto Jones is a member of his team. Jack was missing him in particular when he was travelling with me. Jack didn’t want to travel. He wanted to go home. So, I took him to Cardiff. Well, I think I took him there. Might have been London. Can’t remember. I haven’t seen him since.”
She crossed her arms and gave him the once over. “Looks like this Ianto person has gone missing and they think you had something to do with it. You didn’t, did you?”
“Of course not.” The Doctor shook his head. “Let’s go through the rest of the messages and see if anything makes sense. The TARDIS will get us there as soon as she can.”
Jack was indulging in one of his favourite pastimes: watching Ianto sleep. Ianto had caught him at it several times, and Jack made no apologies. It was a measure of the trust that existed between them now. That trust had been tested so many times and yet remained, solid and sure.
Ianto was his stronghold, his anchor, his lover, and his friend. Jack tried to be all those things for Ianto. It could be difficult, Jack had been told, to be in love with your best friend, but for them, it had not been a problem. They still fought - loud blazing rows - because they were two different people, but they seldom stayed angry for long. The fun of making up outweighed the effort of holding a grudge.
Ianto stirred and Jack reached to lightly caress his cheek. He was getting used to the strange glow that surrounded their touches. Ianto settled more comfortably. Jack knew at least part of what was happening in his lover’s complicated mind: he was trying to regain memories of the time he had lost. One of the curses of an eidetic memory was that there should be no gaps. Ianto could remember things that happened while he was sleeping; at least enough to know that time had passed so sleeping itself did not cause the problem. It was when Ianto was drugged or unconscious that his brain protested. Jack had gotten into the habit of explaining just what had occurred once Ianto woke up to account for his missing hours. If he wasn’t there or didn’t know, Tosh would do it.
It was hard to resist the temptation to wake Ianto up. He knew it was selfish, but he’d been so frightened. Bone-deep terrified, if he was honest with himself. So he watched, listening to the steady breathing and feeling the rhythmic pulse of the heartbeat that belonged to the man he was so unexpectedly in love with.
When Ianto spoke, Jack almost jumped. “I’m still here, Jack. Not evaporating.” Those dark blue eyes that Jack could lose himself in opened. “See?”
Jack smiled at him. “Can’t stop looking at you. You know that. Did you remember anything more?”
Ianto shook his head. “Not much. Some voices. Lights. I think someone took my pulse a few times.” He frowned. “What could have happened, Jack? What would the Doctor want with me? And why did he abduct me?”
Jack sighed and pulled his lover into his arms, rolling so that he could feel the slight scratch of Ianto’s stubble on his chest. He didn’t look to see if that caused the glow to show up. It was more important to feel Ianto tucked safely against his side. “I don’t know, ami tuniav. I was afraid he had taken you away because I told you about that year. That would be like him. He never cares whether he hurts me or not. I wasn’t afraid that he’d harm you - just that I might never see you again.”
“You would have found me wherever I’d been taken, ami munuar.”
Jack loved to hear his native language with Ianto’s gorgeous accent. They used those instead of the equivalent English: “my dearest” and “my heart”. Ianto thought they sounded too girly in English or in Welsh, but speaking a completely different language made them acceptable somehow. Jack didn’t exactly understand how they were different in Ianto’s head, but he was quite happy to get Ianto to speak the language of his childhood, as much as he could remember. It had been a long time since he’d been a child.
“I was going to fix my Vortex Manipulator and come after you. After I had you safe, I was going to find the Doctor and beat him to a pulp. You bring out my primitive streak.”
He felt Ianto’s chuckle. “I quite like your primitive streak. On occasion. Perhaps now would be a good time to exercise it.”
“You sure?”
“Right now, I’d like to be welcomed home. The best way.”
Jack eagerly complied.