In Sickness and in Health (29/40)
Title: In Sickness and in Health
Author: welsh_scotsman
Beta: royalladyemma
Author’s note Once again, thanks to royalladyemma for continous hand holding. If you’re new, start at chapter one, they’re all hyperlinked
Summary: Ianto looks after everyone, but who looks after him?
Pairing: Janto
Spoilers: None
Warning: Occasional language, references to child abuse
Rating: 15
http://welsh-scotsman.livejournal.com/6120.html chapter one
Mr Strutt eyed up his witness, looking for any sign of weakness and seeing none. Glancing quickly over at Ianto Jones in the viewing gallery, he knew exactly how he was going to play this...
“Mr Harkness,” he begun, fixing the witness with a menacing look that would’ve made any lesser man crumble. It annoyed him that Jack just looked straight back, the picture of innocence. “How old are you?”
Jack shrugged. “Thirty five. Yourself?”
Mr Strutt refused to be baited. “And Mr Jones, your...partner and employee is twenty five, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“I see. So a ten year age difference then?”
“Apparently,” said Jack dryly.
“So Mr Jones would’ve been twenty three when he joined your employ?”
“Yes.”
Mr Strutt tilted his head as if he were considering something. “Twenty three is a bit young to be as experienced as you claim Mr Jones is, don’t you think?”
“No. As I’ve said before, Ianto had been with another branch of the company for two years previously. He had the experience and knowledge required and it also meant that I didn’t have to spend time training him up like I did the others.”
“I see. But why him specifically? I’m assuming there was more than one employee at this company?”
Jack exhaled as he tried to keep his temper. “Of course there was more than one or else it wouldn’t be a company would it? Look, the branch closed down and a lot of the employees didn’t want anything to do with it. Ianto did, I offered him a job.”
“Even though there was none available?”
“Of course there was one available or I wouldn’t have given it to him would I?”
“Of course, of course,” said Mr Strutt placatingly as he read through his notes. “Mr Harkness, when Mr Jones came into your employ in August 2006, Miss Suzie Costello now deceased, Dr Owen Harper and Miss Toshiko Sato were also in your employ, were they not?”
“Yes.”
“Reading through my notes, I can’t help thinking that Mr Jones, a man who had barely passed his GCSE’s, wasn’t required at all within your company. If anything, he would hinder rather than help. After all, a C at GCSE is quite a bit below a doctor of medicine, or a doctor of science don’t you agree?” Jack’s jaw tensed as he bit back several comments. Ianto was not stupid no matter how much the defence tried to make out otherwise.
Mr Strutt looked up at Jack with an innocent expression on his face. “And I assume that you too have a decent level of education so why hire someone who, in your own words, ‘didn’t seem to have much potential’?”
“As I’ve said before, Ianto’s grades don’t reflect his intellect...”
“But you wouldn’t have known that until you’d hired him. After all, that’s what things like GCSE’s and A-levels and Degrees are for; to assess a potential candidate’s suitability for the job. Don’t you agree, Mr Harkness?”
Jack merely glared at him.
“And besides, surely it’s a financial risk to hire someone whom you don’t actually need and is, to all intents and purposes, useless and incapable of understanding the more complex things you and your company do. Unless, of course, he has other duties which you haven’t told us about?” asked Mr Strutt innocently, the innuendo plain for everyone to see.
“That fucking bastard!” hissed Owen. Jack may be insatiable at times, but he was a good bloke when you got down to it with morals and values and everything and he would never hire someone just for sex. Mainly ‘cos he didn’t need to, but still, the principle still stood.
Glancing across at Ianto, Owen could see that Strutt’s cruel words and implications were starting to hit their mark. Ianto was becoming more and more tense, blushing and avoiding eye contact with everyone. If the jury saw that, they could easily jump to the conclusion that there was more to Ianto’s hiring than met the eye.
“Hey, come on, mate. Stay with us, ay?” muttered Owen, idly rubbing his back as he glared over at Lloyd who looked like he was having the time of his life. Owen didn’t know who was worse; Lloyd for causing the problem in the first place, or Strutt for being paid to humiliate Ianto and enjoying it. He and Lloyd had probably spent many happy hours together planning exactly what to say and do.
“When I hired Ianto, I hired him for his experience and traits only. His physical appearance was of no relevance,” said Jack curtly.
“But you admit that you find Mr Jones physically attractive?” pressed Mr Strutt.
Jack fixed Strutt with a look to kill. He knew what Strutt was doing and he wasn’t going to fall for it. “He is my partner; I’m going to think he’s the best thing since the world began. Other people would not so if I say yes, you’re going to use it against me and make me seem shallow and sex crazed and if I say no, you’re also going to use it against me. So I am not going to answer that,” said Jack calmly.
“As is your right,” smiled Strutt condescendingly. “So tell me, what was Mr Jones like when he came into your employ?”
Jack shrugged. “Quiet. Polite. The normal way people act when they’re in a new job.”
Mr Strutt raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he asked, sounding surprised. “And how did he act in regards to you?”
Jack shrugged. “The same”
Mr Strutt smiled tightly. “Of course. And how did you act towards him?”
“I wanted Ianto to feel at ease in himself, his job, his colleagues and myself so I was friendly and welcoming like a good boss should be. Unless of course, you think I should have acted like the boss from hell? Intimidated him into working for me? Threatened him until he signed his contract?” asked Jack pointedly, he knew he shouldn’t antagonise Strutt, but he had had quite enough of Strutt’s snide innuendoes and implications.
“Well, the ‘boss from hell’ can come in many different forms, can’t he, Mr Harkness? How did Mr Jones react to you making him more ‘comfortable’?”
“It wasn’t like that. Jack didn’t...he wouldn’t...” whispered Ianto.
“We know. Strutt’s just being an arse. Ignore him,” murmured Tosh, linking her hand with his in a gesture of comfort. It was obvious that Ianto was becoming agitated by the defence lawyer’s patronising attitude, and she caught Owen’s attention for help. He acknowledged her and nudged Ianto in the ribs.
“Hey, mate. You give the word, and I’ll go down there right now and knock him right on his pompous arse, okay?” said Owen, as he mimed punching the bastard.
Ianto gave him a small smile. “I might take you up on that,” he murmured as he turned his attention back to the trial, missing the look of pure gratitude that Tosh gave Owen.
“So...he did what you wanted him to do then?” asked Mr Strutt casually.
“He did what was in his job description, yes,” said Jack firmly. He knew exactly where Strutt’s mind was going, and he was determined that the jury’s mind wasn’t going to follow.
“Of course, of course...but what if he didn’t do what you wanted him to do?” asked Strutt, looking up at Jack contemplatively.
“Let me make this clear. The first day Ianto arrived, I sat down with him and went through his job description in the greatest of detail. I made him aware of his rights within the company and I made him aware of what he could do if he wanted to leave. I’m sure the contract he signed stating that he understood this is tucked away in the Archives somewhere if you want to see it.”
“No, it’s alright, Mr Harkness.” Strutt held up his hands in mock surrender. “Tell me, did Mr Jones seem particularly interested in you on a personal level at all?”
“No, not really.”
“Why was that do you think?” Mr Strutt’s tone of voice was the epitome of innocence, contrasting sharply with the black soul within.
“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him that, won’t you? Maybe because he’d only just met me, maybe because he was still sorting his own life out; he’d recently moved back to Cardiff from London so probably had flat stuff to do, or maybe because his girlfriend had just died and he was in mourning.” It pained Jack to bring Lisa up but he knew that if he didn’t bring her up of his own accord, then Strutt definitely would and not in a good way.
“Really? Mr Jones had a girlfriend before he started getting close to you?” asked Mr Strutt, turning towards the Jury for effect as his eyebrows made friends with his hairline.
“Yes.”
“So, in the space of one year, he went from not being remotely interested to sha... to being in a relationship with you?”
“Apparently,” said Jack dismissively.
“What did you do to help that transition along, Mr Harkness?”
“I did nothing. I was the responsible boss. I allowed him to grieve for his loss and made sure we kept a respectable distance between ourselves. I have never, would never and could never take advantage of Ianto,” finished Jack, looking Strutt straight in the eye.
“I never said you did, Mr Harkness. I’m merely saying that as people employed by the National Security Services can’t join Unions, it would be very difficult for him to do anything if anything unfortunate like that did happen. After all, you could make his life very difficult for him if you chose...”
“I could, but I wouldn’t. All my employees are trained in self defence as well as how to handle a variety of weapons. Do you honestly think I’d be stupid enough to try and force myself on a man whom I know can defend himself? No. I wouldn’t. So I suggest, Mr Strutt, that you dig your mind out of the gutter and stop making these slanderous allegations against me. I am not on trial here and I would appreciate it if you would remember that,” said Jack forcefully, his tone like ice as he gave him his most intimidating glare; the one that was usually reserved for creatures, aliens or people who had harmed, in any way, a member of his team.
Mr Strutt smiled tightly; he’d gotten his point across. “As you wish, Mr Harkness, as you wish. Just one more question: do you make a habit out of sleeping with your employees?”
Jack’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I am a good boss. My employees are happy and secure in their jobs and I would never for one moment think of jeopardising that for some fling; it could hurt too many people. So no, I don’t make a habit of having a quick, meaningless fumble with my employees. However, if, by chance, I feel I have a connection with them and I am absolutely certain they are willing, then yes, I may decide to take things further.”
“I see. So what happens if you and Mr Jones end up splitting up?” asked Mr Strutt as if he were genuinely interested in the answer, as if he really cared about Ianto‘s welfare.
“I don’t see why we would. As I’ve said before, we’ve been together for a year now, working pretty much twenty four seven and I don’t see anything happening in the immediate future to change that.”
“Yes, but if you were to hypothetically split up, what would happen? Would you ask Mr Jones to leave? After all, I can’t see it making a very happy or indeed ‘comfortable’ environment for either you, Mr Jones or your other employees to work in. Surely you’d want to brush it under the carpet and pretend it never happened?” said Mr Strutt, his voice like syrup.
Jack sighed, Mr Strutt did go on a bit. “As I have said before and indeed several times since, me and Ianto keep our working lives and home lives very separate. If we split up, then he would carry on working for me if he so wished. If he wished to leave willingly, then I would write him a glowing reference and wish him the best of luck. He would have done nothing wrong professionally and I would have no legal grounds to sack him on, as I am sure you are aware.
“Ianto is a good person; loyal, devoted, trustworthy and brilliant at his job and he deserves more than to be cast aside as if he were nothing; like he has been for so much of his life. He is a human being; he has feelings and emotions and memories just like everyone else and I will continue to treat him as such. Regardless of what his personal relationship is to me.”
The whole room was silent for a moment and then, all of a sudden, loud applause broke out throughout the galleries. Strutt looked around, shocked for a moment before his shock turned to anger. That fucking, American bastard had gone and endeared himself to the whole bloody Court! Fuck!
“Wow. Harkness can be romantic when he wants to be,” muttered Owen as he took in both Lloyd and Strutt’s thunderous expressions.
“Yeah...” murmured Ianto, slightly dazed by the strength and conviction with which Jack had spoken. He nodded shyly in acknowledgment as he caught Jack’s eye. Jack just winked in return.
“The Court will be silent! You will listen to the evidence given in silence or I will fine you all for contempt of Court!” commanded Judge Adams as he banged his hammer several times before the Court quieted. “Mr Strutt, please continue.”
Strutt nodded as he turned back to Jack who just gave him his best ‘don’t mess with me ‘cos you won’t win’ look. This just made Strutt all the more determined to wipe that arrogant smirk off Jack’s face. Still, there was always Jones if he didn’t manage it this time...
“So...considering you and Mr Jones are meant to be love personified, has he ever mentioned either his father: Mr Wayne Lloyd or his childhood to you?”
“No.”
“Don’t you find that a little odd, Mr Harkness? You are his Boss, his lover, his confidante and yet he didn’t share what some might say are the most important things about himself?”
“No. As far as Ianto is concerned, his father is nothing to him so why would he want to bring him up when he’s caused him so much pain and suffering already?”
“Surely that would make even more reason for him to bring him up? So he can get the love and support he needs from his ‘equal’ partner, don’t you agree Mr Harkness?” asked Mr Strutt sweetly.
“And when exactly would he bring this up, Mr Strutt? As I have said before; Ianto is a very quiet and very private man; he would not bring up something this deeply and personally painful unless he absolutely had to.”
“And him pushing his father down the stairs created the perfect opportunity, I suppose?” asked Mr Strutt lazily, though the look in his eyes said something completely different.
“Objection!” The prosecutor lunged to his feet. “Your Honour, the incident where Wayne Lloyd fell down the stairs at Mr Jones’ flat was thoroughly investigated and it was determined to be a complete accident. There was no fault found on the part of Mr Jones.” Clark waved his hand in the direction of the defence table. “Using inflammatory language like this is an attempt to influence the jury regarding Mr Jones.”
“Quite right, Mr Clark.” Judge Adams looked sternly at Strutt. “Mr Strutt, you were given the reports regarding this investigation, and if you had read them, then you would be aware that the incident at the Jones flat was an accident. If you haven’t read the report, then I suggest you sit down right now and do so. We’ll wait on you to finish.”
Strutt flushed an ugly colour of red, and for a moment, Owen wondered if he was going to have a coronary.
“No, Your Honour, that won’t be necessary.” Strutt spoke through clenched teeth. “I apologise to the Court for the wording of my sentence.”
“I rather thought you might.” Judge Adams turned his attention to the jurors. “Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, you will disregard the last question asked by the defence.” He turned back to Strutt. “Do you think you can continue questioning this witness based on the actual facts of the case, Mr Strut?”
Strutt was still seething inside. Damn Harkness!! Damn Clark!! Damn them all to hell!! ‘Just you wait, Ianto Jones. When I get you on that witness stand, you’re going to wish your Dad had killed you when he had the chance.’ “Yes, Your Honour. I will try to do better.”
“Don’t try, Mr Strutt. Just do your job properly.” The Judge summarily dismissed him.
In the gallery, Tosh had been watching the jurors ever since Strutt accused Ianto of pushing Lloyd down the stairs. She had heard Ianto’s sharp intake of breath and she could feel his body vibrating with tension, but she wanted to see the effect of Strutt’s words on the jurors.
Now she whispered to Ianto, “I’ve been watching the jury, Ianto, and I will tell you right now that they are on your side. That idiot just burned a few bridges with this last stunt.”
Ianto said nothing, but he did relax his hands a little; he had dug his fingers deeply into the flesh of his thighs, trying to focus on the pain rather than the defence lawyer. Owen noticed the tiny movement but said nothing. Instead, he just reached out, and pulled both of Ianto’s hands away from his legs. He knew that Ianto’s flesh was going to be badly bruised, and wondered if he had managed to actually break the skin.
“Mr Harkness,” the Defence took a deep breath and willed his hatred of this American bastard off of his face. “At the time Mr Lloyd fell down the stairs at the flat you and Mr Jones share, why do you suppose Mr Jones chose that moment in your relationship to tell you about his history with his father, about his childhood and the abuse he alleges took place?”
“Well he really didn’t have much choice, did he? Besides, I am not stupid, no matter how much you try to make the Jury think otherwise. I know turning up at your son’s home uninvited and shouting obscene insults at him are not the actions of a loving father. I also know that when this results in said son having nightmares the following night, and for many nights after that, something’s not right. So that, coupled with his visit to the Tourist Office where he intimidated a member of my staff is going to make me ask questions, don’t you think?” asked Jack coldly.
“If you say so, Mr Harkness.” Mr Strutt shrugged his shoulders, as if to say it didn’t matter to him one way or another. He shuffled through his paperwork, took a drink of water, and made it look as though he were deep in thought for several moments before looking back up at Jack.
“How do you know he wasn’t lying? After all, when you think about it, it’s really quite convenient, to have a supposedly abusive father. It would give him an excellent defence in Court if he were tried with ABH, and an even better defence if he were tried with either manslaughter or murder. After all, Mr Jones was twenty five, if he got convicted with murder, he could spend the next fifty odd years of his life in prison. If I were Mr Jones, I would definitely think about doing it,” said Mr Strutt with fake understanding.
“Good job you’re not Mr Jones then, isn’t it?” said Jack coldly. “When I arrived at the flat shortly after the incident had happened, Ianto was in deep shock. He didn’t know what he was doing. He blamed himself. Does that really sound like the actions of a cold blooded killer? No. Add to that the fact that he had deep bruising around his wrists and neck and it doesn’t take a genius to work out what happened.”
Mr Strutt smiled condescendingly. “Of course. In fact, let’s talk about Mr Jones’ bruises, shall we? For a start, how do you know Mr Lloyd was responsible for them at all? They could easily have been caused during the day, perhaps by someone he were quite close to, or on the way home if he’d bashed his wrist on a wall or something.”
Jack gave Mr Strutt a withering look. “As Dr Harper will testify, Mr Strutt, he checked Ianto over that very morning from the ‘alleged’ attack the previous day and there were no bruises around his neck and there were different coloured bruises around his wrists. Therefore, the bruises must have been caused at a later time and as Ianto was surrounded by his colleagues for most of the day, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do anything like that now, would I?”
“Perhaps. However, that doesn’t answer the question of why Mr Jones called you rather than the Emergency Services after the ‘incident’. Surely if he were an innocent, law abiding citizen, he would do that,” Mr Strutt’s tone was one of mild curiosity, as though the answer really didn’t mean anything whatsoever. Jack wasn’t fooled for a moment.
“Mr Strutt, I am not a mind-reader.” Jack’s voice was as dry as the desert, and the quick titter that came from the gallery didn’t escape him. “I have no idea what Ianto was thinking, nor do I have any idea why he called me first, but I’m sure that if you ask him what he was thinking instead of me, you might find out.”
Strutt nodded condescendingly, glancing discretely over at Ianto who was looking suitably worried before turning his attention back to Jack. “Do you suppose Mr Jones intended for you to deal with the problem before…?”
Jack’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he interrupted the man. “Mr Strutt, what exactly are you implying?”
Strutt waved his hand dismissively. “Well,” he paused for dramatic effect. “perhaps he wanted you to, oh, I don’t know,” and he shrugged casually, “make the body disappear?”
The gallery erupted in outrage and the prosecutor had to shout to make himself heard. “Your Honour, I object!”
Judge Adams banged his gavel loudly on his bench as he roared, “Quiet!” The audience in the gallery slowly calmed down and the room returned to quiet. “One more outburst like that and I will have this court room cleared and closed for the duration of this trial!” he thundered, and then turned on the defence with a glare.
“Mr Strutt, that last comment is nothing more than slanderous conjecture, and a very crude attempt at tainting the jury‘s opinion of this witness and of Mr Jones! You will apologise to Mr Harkness immediately.”
Unable to stop the flush of anger that rose above his collar, the defence turned to the witness dock. “I apologise, Mr Harkness, for my last question.” Although the words were correct, the sneer in his voice was obvious.
“Thank you, Mr Strutt. Although, if it’s alright, with you, Your Honour, I would like to answer it regardless.” Judge Adams nodded his assent and Jack continued. “Ianto is a good person. As am I. Therefore, neither of us would even think about covering this up, and, if you were properly informed about this case, you will notice that I called the Emergency Services myself as soon as I got there. You will see from your notes that Mr Lloyd got proper medical treatment and that Mr Jones and myself cooperated fully with the police to ensure that the matter was cleared up. Now, I don’t know about you, but those are not the actions of people who are going to ‘cover it up’,” said Jack firmly and he was relieved to see several member of the Jury nodding their heads in agreement.
“Thank you, Mr Harkness,” said Judge Adams before turning back to Mr Strutt who was fuming. “Mr Strutt, I have had just about enough of your slanderous comments to both Mr Harkness and Mr Jones. You are in contempt of this court and I am fining you one thousand pounds. You may see the clerk after session.” The Judge banged his gavel, making the ruling official.
“But Your Honour!!! I apolog…!” Strutt protested loudly.
“Two thousand.”
“Your Honour, I do not…!”
“Three thousand.” Bang. “Would you care to try for five?”
Mr Strutt slammed his hand down on the table, causing several pieces of paper to drop off. “How dare you…!”
“Mr Strutt, I would be extraordinarily careful how you finish that sentence.” Although Judge Adams spoke very quietly, he had a smile like a shark’s. “I haven’t put a lawyer in prison for a while now, and I think it’s high time I did.”
Unable to stop his mouth from opening and closing like a fish, Strutt struggled to control his temper and his words.
“Mr Strutt, I’m waiting.” The Judge closed a file on his desk, folded his hands in front of him and looked at the man very calmly. “Do you have anything else to say to this court?”
Drawing in a very deep breath and holding it for a moment, Mr Strutt finally answered. “No, Your Honour, I do not.” His teeth were clenched so tightly his jaw was turning white.
“I rather thought not. Now, have you finished with this witness?”
Mr Strutt glared at that bloody American bastard who merely smirked back at him. “Yes, Your Honour, but I reserve the right to recall him at any time.” Strutt kept his back to the room, except for a quick glance at the judge. “Thank you for asking, Sir.”
“Very well. Mr Prosecutor, your next witness, please.”
http://welsh-scotsman.livejournal.com/21718.html#cutid1 chapter 30