In SIckness and in Health (14/?)
“Toshiko! My favourite IT genius!” smiled Jack as he perched on the end of her desk.
“What do you want, Jack?” asked Tosh, well used to the Captain’s antiques.
“I was wondering if you could do me a favour-“
“I bet he says that to all the girls,” muttered Owen as he walked past.
Jack rolled his eyes before continuing, “I was wondering if you could cover for Ianto in the Tourist Office today? He still doesn’t feel particularly brilliant so is catching up on paperwork in the Archives where it’s quieter.”
“Yeah, sure. Why don’t you take him home if he feels that bad and I can do his paperwork for him,” suggested Tosh.
Jack smiled at her concern, “no, it’s alright, Tosh; you know what Ianto’s like; even if I do manage to drag him away, he won’t sleep. I find it best to just let him burn himself out.”
Tosh nodded, “well if you change your mind...”
“I know, thanks, Tosh,” said Jack, patting her shoulder before making his way over to his office where he plonked himself down at his desk and flicked up the CCTV for lack of anything better to do. Ianto was currently sitting at his desk, his head resting on his hand as he filled in numerous forms, letting the menial task distract him from his unmenial life.
“What you doing?” asked Gwen as she came in.
“Nothing,” said Jack, minimising the screen and giving her his best ‘ I’m listening to every word you’re saying’ look.
Gwen looked like she didn’t believe him before sitting down in front of him. “You know how you and Ianto went Weevil hunting last night...” she started, momentarily confusing Jack before he worked out that that must be what Ianto or Owen would’ve told her. “Well there’s no entry on the Weevil log,” she continued.
The Weevil log had been set up several months ago when Weevil attacks had increased to such an extent that at least two members of the team would be out hunting them at any one time. This inevitably led to misunderstandings and confusion until Ianto set up the Weevil log which recorded who had gone on what mission and when, the situation and any injuries received. It was accessible to everyone and at the time had been a God’s send; but now Jack was beginning to wish he hadn’t bothered.
“Yeah, sorry about that, I haven’t had time to do it yet. I’ll sort it out later,” said Jack in his most sincere voice.
“But Ianto wouldn’t leave it empty,” said Gwen suspiciously, knowing her friend’s obsessive tendencies.
“Gwen, by the time we were finished last night, Ianto really couldn’t have cared less; all he wanted to do was go home and get some sleep. Are you really suggesting I should’ve made him stay an extra hour to get a piece of paperwork done?” said Jack, staring her down.
“No, I just-“
“Good, now I’ve said I’ll sort it and I will so why don’t you go back to doing what you were doing okay?” said Jack curtly.
"I just...thought it strange, that’s all,” muttered Gwen as she left the office, leaving Jack feeling even worse, he hadn’t meant to take it out on Gwen, and he knew she was worried; it was just the strain of feeling so useless that was getting to him, that was all. He’d make it up to her later.
“Oi! I want some service now!”
“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” called Tosh as she came through the beaded curtain to be greeted with the sight of a 6’5’’ paralytic drunk leaning heavily on the counter, eyes unfocused and bloodshot.
“I wanna see my son!” he demanded.
“I’m sorry. I don’t-“
“I wanna see my son, now!” snarled the man, slamming his fist on the counter and making Tosh jump.
“I’m sorry; I don’t know your son. Now, if you wouldn’t mind leaving...” said Tosh placatingly, hoping for the son’s sake that he wasn’t found.
“He works here!” shouted the man, throwing the desk to one side, causing Tosh to take a step back.
"Ianto. Ianto Jones. You must know him; he lets that Yank fuck him,” snarled the man as he advanced towards Tosh, trapping her against the wall.
“Look...I don’t know your son...but I can ask my boss if he knows him, okay?” said Tosh, keeping the panic out of her voice. She was also wise enough to know that Jack was much better equipped at dealing with this than she was. The man nodded acquiescence and took a step back, allowing Tosh to go into the small office to the side and activate her comm..
“Jack, I need you up in the Tourist Office now.”
“What’s the problem?”
“There’s this drunk demanding to see Ianto.”
A stony silence, “ what does he look like?”
“Erm...’bout 6’5’’, black hair, brown eyes...”
“I’m on my way, don’t do anything until I get there,” ordered Jack as Tosh could hear him jogging across the base. Biting her lip nervously, she looked through the beaded curtain to see the man knocking stands over in his anger. He couldn’t be Ianto’s dad; they were polar opposites and Jones was a very common name. Ianto wasn’t.
“Where is he?” asked Jack urgently as he joined her.
“Through there. He’s not really Ianto’s father is he?” asked Tosh.
“Okay, you go down to the Archives and make sure Ianto doesn’t suspect, I’ll deal with this,” said Jack, effectively answering her question.
Tosh nodded, “will you be alright?”
“Yeah, course. I’d be more worried about him,” said Jack darkly, pure hatred radiating out of every pore.
Tosh nodded nervously as she left the two men to it.
As Tosh left, Jack took a deep breath to ensure he would be able to keep control before striding purposefully through the curtains.
“Oi! Leave those alone!” he ordered, causing the drunkard to lose interest in the stands and turn and face him, a sickening grin spreading over his flushed features.
“You’re the Yank that’s screwing my son,” he stated as he staggered towards him.
A sharp intake of breath was the only reaction Jack gave as he crossed his arms, “I object to those terms,” he said coolly.
“Embarrassed are you? God knows I’d be. Is that why you’ve got the cute little Jap on the side?” sneered the man. The next thing he knew, he was being pinned against the wall, his arm yanked up behind his back.
“Let..Me...Make...This...Very...Clear...” hissed Jack in his ear, “you do not insult me like that, you do not insult my friends like that and you most certainly do not insult your son like that! Do I make myself clear?”
The larger man laughed, “tell me...”
“Jack.”
"Jack. Why are you with my son? Are you really that desperate or is it ‘cos he doesn’t charge you as much as the other whores?” It took all of Jack’s willpower to not snap the man’s neck there and then, but he stopped himself. For Ianto he stopped himself.
“Leave now whilst you still can,” he growled as he released the man who stumbled before regaining his balance and regarding Jack with nothing short of hatred.
“Look at you; you’re pathetic. You don’t have the balls to stop me. You’re just someone who likes to feel powerful by surrounding themselves with people weaker than them,” he sneered.
Jack glared at him, “if you think that Ianto’s weak, you obviously don’t know him very well. Ianto does not retaliate because he’s stronger than you, because he’s better than you and because he doesn’t need a bottle to feel good about himself.”
“You-“
“Tell me, Mr Jones-“
"It’s Mr Lloyd actually. Ianto changed his name by Deed Poll as soon as he could.”
Jack raised an eyebrow but refused to be sidetracked, “so tell me, Mr Lloyd, when you go home at night, do you get drunk because you can, or because you have to?” he asked, keeping eye contact with the man who kicked the upturned table before storming out, slamming the door behind him.
http://welsh-scotsman.livejournal.com/11044.html chapter fifteen