The Fountain Watch (5/5)
Title: The Fountain Watch
Author:
winter_rose91
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Timey Wimey
Characters/Pairings: Ianto/Jack
Summary: The Fountain Watch is a beautiful and ornate piece, but as Ianto Jones is soon to discover, it is also extremely dangerous.
A/N: Many thanks to brilliant
verasteine for all her wonderful beta-ing, advice, help and suggestions on this fic. All mistakes are my own!
(Chapter 4)
(Chapter 1)
He watched as the SUV screeched to a halt outside Anghyswllt Tŷ, spraying gravel over the overgrown grass. A tall figure he instantly recognized as Captain Jack Harkness jumped out and started shouting words he couldn’t hear to his companion, Gwen Cooper. His pulse quickened; this was the point where it could all go wrong.
Trying not to rustle the leaves of the bushes he sat in, partly not to draw attention to himself, and partly not to spray himself with raindrops, he craned his neck. Right on time, as he always was, Ianto Jones stepped out of taxi.
“Thanks,” he said to the taxi driver. His voice was croaky. Briefly, he considered how surreal it was to be sitting in some bushes listening to himself. He was sure he didn’t sound like that, sore throat or not. There was a small part of himself that wanted to warn himself of the dangers ahead, that wanted to stop him, but his more rational side urged him to remain hidden in the bushes. He heard the taxi pull away, and he watched as Ianto staggered up the driveway. He looked awful; his skin was deathly pale, his clothes were crumpled and his shirt was unbuttoned. Perhaps he’d buy a new suit. He felt he deserved a raise after the three months he had spent living in 1891.
Another wind rustled the leaves. Goosebumps crept over his arms. He watched uncomfortably as his past self staggered to the fountain and was confronted by an angry Jack.
He knew what was going to happen next. He gripped a particularly sturdy looking branch for support. Bang on schedule, the ground started to shake, and he watched with a sick feeling in his stomach as loose pieces of stone started to rain down on their heads. Gwen got knocked out. The fountain started to glow, light burst through the grounds, illuminating the house and making it seem ethereal. It was almost beautiful.
He watched as Ianto doubled over with pain, fell into the fountain and disappeared out of sight. He heard Jack’s cry from all the way down the bottom of the garden. Ianto winced. The fountain stopped glowing, the light seemed to shrink back into it. The darkness of the late afternoon seemed even more pronounced.
Jack was staring at the fountain, breathing heavily, and then he frantically started to tap at the buttons on his vortex manipulator.
Now it was time. Careful not to tear his suit, he dislodged himself from the bush and started to walk up to Anghyswllt Tŷ. The grass was sopping wet. Jack sprinted to the SUV and fumbled inside, pulling out a blanket. He ran back to Gwen and draped it over her. He then pulled his phone from his pocket, presumably calling for an ambulance.
He resisted the urge to shout Jack’s name; it wasn’t really his style. He might’ve been a bit time lost and worn down and tired, but he was still Ianto Jones. He reached the fountain. Jack had returned his attention to his wrist strap and was scanning the water feature, back to Ianto.
“Y’know, anyone would think you’re a vandal,” Ianto said, keeping his tone as light as possible. Jack span around. For a moment he simply stared at Ianto in disbelief before stepping forward and kissing him hard.
Jack gripped Ianto’s shoulders painfully. God, he had missed this. Missed him. Ianto breathed in a shaky breath, Jack’s scent rushing through his veins, making him feel almost light headed. Ianto slid one hand around Jack’s back, relishing in the familiar feel of the rough wool under his hands, and then threaded the other hand through Jack’s hair.
“What happened? You were here and then-” Jack said. Ianto could feel every breath against his cheek.
“Is Gwen alright?” Ianto asked, bypassing Jack’s question, and slowly relinquishing his grip on him.
“Hopefully,” Jack said, turning to look at her. “I’ve called an ambulance, she’s breathing and she’s got a pulse,” Jack reassured him. They both bent down over her, Jack checking her vitals again and Ianto rearranging her blanket. Ianto looked at her, praying she’d be all right.
“What happened to you?” Jack said, Ianto looked into his face, taking a few seconds to reacquaint himself with the features he had yearned for. “It looked like time energy,” Jack said, jerking his head towards the fountain, “did you just skip a few minutes?”
“Not quite,” Ianto sighed. He glanced out across the horizon. The sky was an iron grey. It looked like it was going to rain again. “More a like a century.” He looked back to Jack. One of his hands was resting on Gwen’s neck, he looked anxious.
“Past or future?” Jack said opening the medical kit and rifling through the contents.
“Let’s just say I have no desire to meet Misses Guppy and Holroyd again.”
“Alice and Emily? Did they hurt you?” Jack said snapping his attention to Ianto.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Ianto said, keeping his eye on the road that led to the house, looking out for the ambulance. Ianto was on the verge of saying something about the bar fight, but held back. It was an area of Jack’s past he’d never divulged to Ianto, and after witnessing it Ianto doubted he told anyone. He just categorised it along with all the other things they never talked about. They were good at not talking.
“How did you even get back to - wherever it is you went - 1890 something?” Jack asked pulling Gwen’s hair away from the gash in her forehead.
“Yeah.” Ianto said quietly, standing up. He jogged to the SUV, wrenched open the boot and pulled out the medical kit. He strode back to Gwen, placing the kit down. He took a deep breath and pulled out the fountain watch from his pocket. It was quite useless now, nonetheless, still very beautiful.
“I picked this up from the kitchen the first night we were here,” Ianto said, carefully avoiding Jack’s eyes. Ianto stilled any lecture he was about to receive. “I know - you know those funny rift outs?”
“Yeah,” Jack said opening the medical kit.
“Well, it was temporal energy, time energy, the rift spiked over Anghyswllt Tŷ, with the temporal energy, and transferred it the watch somehow…once I picked up the watch, it transferred some of the temporal energy to me,”
“But you’re human, your system couldn’t have coped - oh,” Jack finished quietly, searching through the medical kit.
“Yeah, it’s why I fell ill.” Ianto pulled on a pair of latex gloves. “Then the rift spiked with the temporal energy again, and because I was already doused with it, I sort of got transported back.” Ianto frowned. “Does that make sense?” Ianto had never really understood time travel; Jack nodded whilst he checked Gwen’s cut for any dust or dirt.
“How long’ve you been back?”
“A day.” Ianto paused whilst Jack pressed a bandage to her head to stem the flow of blood. “It was me who put the Hub in lockdown.”
“What? Why?”
“You really ought to use gloves,” Ianto said, shifting, he was kneeling on the gravel path; his legs were beginning to ache.
“Why?”
“Because you might infect her cut,” Ianto said pulling out a pair of gloves and handing them to Jack.
“No, I meant, why did you put in the lockdown?” Jack said, ripping the pack open.
“When I got sent back, I must’ve hit my head, I couldn’t remember who I was, I believed I was Idris Jones …”
“Idris Jones?” glancing up at the house whilst blood started to seep across the white bandage pressed to Gwen’s forehead. “The man who lived here last?”
“Yup.”
“Ah, you put the Hub in lockdown so we wouldn’t be able to access the records and realise what was going on...”
“Thus avoiding a paradox.”
“And take if from a man who knows, you don’t want to get mixed up in one of those.” Ianto nodded and handed Jack some medical tap. Jack attached it to the bandage, securing it firmly.
“How long were you there?”
“Three months.” Ianto knees really started to ache so he hauled himself up and stretched his legs.
“Three months? And you didn’t know who you were, didn’t you-” Jack stopped suddenly looking up at Ianto. “So who was that man we met the first night here, he knew you.”
“The real Idris Jones,” Ianto said. “We met.” He wished he’d said goodbye to Mrs Davies now. After all she had done nothing but look after him. He looked down at Gwen, she was still unconscious, but the blanket was moving steadily with her breaths. Jack was prising the gloves off. Ianto bent down and started to pack up the medical kit. A wail could be heard in the distance, Jack sprung to his feet. Thankfully, the ambulance was pulling into the driveway. It parked by the SUV and two paramedics jumped out and started to stride towards them; one was carrying a silver blanket. Ianto gave one last glance over his shoulder to Anghyswllt Tŷ.
He watched a bitter wind blow across the grounds, picking up tiny pieces of gravel and pelting them against the now cracked and broken fountain. He straightened his tie. As he did so, he felt Jack slip his hand into Ianto’s and give it an affectionate squeeze. Ianto really did know the house too well.
Well enough to last him a lifetime.
Author:
winter_rose91
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Timey Wimey
Characters/Pairings: Ianto/Jack
Summary: The Fountain Watch is a beautiful and ornate piece, but as Ianto Jones is soon to discover, it is also extremely dangerous.
A/N: Many thanks to brilliant
verasteine for all her wonderful beta-ing, advice, help and suggestions on this fic. All mistakes are my own!
(Chapter 4)
(Chapter 1)
He watched as the SUV screeched to a halt outside Anghyswllt Tŷ, spraying gravel over the overgrown grass. A tall figure he instantly recognized as Captain Jack Harkness jumped out and started shouting words he couldn’t hear to his companion, Gwen Cooper. His pulse quickened; this was the point where it could all go wrong.
Trying not to rustle the leaves of the bushes he sat in, partly not to draw attention to himself, and partly not to spray himself with raindrops, he craned his neck. Right on time, as he always was, Ianto Jones stepped out of taxi.
“Thanks,” he said to the taxi driver. His voice was croaky. Briefly, he considered how surreal it was to be sitting in some bushes listening to himself. He was sure he didn’t sound like that, sore throat or not. There was a small part of himself that wanted to warn himself of the dangers ahead, that wanted to stop him, but his more rational side urged him to remain hidden in the bushes. He heard the taxi pull away, and he watched as Ianto staggered up the driveway. He looked awful; his skin was deathly pale, his clothes were crumpled and his shirt was unbuttoned. Perhaps he’d buy a new suit. He felt he deserved a raise after the three months he had spent living in 1891.
Another wind rustled the leaves. Goosebumps crept over his arms. He watched uncomfortably as his past self staggered to the fountain and was confronted by an angry Jack.
He knew what was going to happen next. He gripped a particularly sturdy looking branch for support. Bang on schedule, the ground started to shake, and he watched with a sick feeling in his stomach as loose pieces of stone started to rain down on their heads. Gwen got knocked out. The fountain started to glow, light burst through the grounds, illuminating the house and making it seem ethereal. It was almost beautiful.
He watched as Ianto doubled over with pain, fell into the fountain and disappeared out of sight. He heard Jack’s cry from all the way down the bottom of the garden. Ianto winced. The fountain stopped glowing, the light seemed to shrink back into it. The darkness of the late afternoon seemed even more pronounced.
Jack was staring at the fountain, breathing heavily, and then he frantically started to tap at the buttons on his vortex manipulator.
Now it was time. Careful not to tear his suit, he dislodged himself from the bush and started to walk up to Anghyswllt Tŷ. The grass was sopping wet. Jack sprinted to the SUV and fumbled inside, pulling out a blanket. He ran back to Gwen and draped it over her. He then pulled his phone from his pocket, presumably calling for an ambulance.
He resisted the urge to shout Jack’s name; it wasn’t really his style. He might’ve been a bit time lost and worn down and tired, but he was still Ianto Jones. He reached the fountain. Jack had returned his attention to his wrist strap and was scanning the water feature, back to Ianto.
“Y’know, anyone would think you’re a vandal,” Ianto said, keeping his tone as light as possible. Jack span around. For a moment he simply stared at Ianto in disbelief before stepping forward and kissing him hard.
Jack gripped Ianto’s shoulders painfully. God, he had missed this. Missed him. Ianto breathed in a shaky breath, Jack’s scent rushing through his veins, making him feel almost light headed. Ianto slid one hand around Jack’s back, relishing in the familiar feel of the rough wool under his hands, and then threaded the other hand through Jack’s hair.
“What happened? You were here and then-” Jack said. Ianto could feel every breath against his cheek.
“Is Gwen alright?” Ianto asked, bypassing Jack’s question, and slowly relinquishing his grip on him.
“Hopefully,” Jack said, turning to look at her. “I’ve called an ambulance, she’s breathing and she’s got a pulse,” Jack reassured him. They both bent down over her, Jack checking her vitals again and Ianto rearranging her blanket. Ianto looked at her, praying she’d be all right.
“What happened to you?” Jack said, Ianto looked into his face, taking a few seconds to reacquaint himself with the features he had yearned for. “It looked like time energy,” Jack said, jerking his head towards the fountain, “did you just skip a few minutes?”
“Not quite,” Ianto sighed. He glanced out across the horizon. The sky was an iron grey. It looked like it was going to rain again. “More a like a century.” He looked back to Jack. One of his hands was resting on Gwen’s neck, he looked anxious.
“Past or future?” Jack said opening the medical kit and rifling through the contents.
“Let’s just say I have no desire to meet Misses Guppy and Holroyd again.”
“Alice and Emily? Did they hurt you?” Jack said snapping his attention to Ianto.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Ianto said, keeping his eye on the road that led to the house, looking out for the ambulance. Ianto was on the verge of saying something about the bar fight, but held back. It was an area of Jack’s past he’d never divulged to Ianto, and after witnessing it Ianto doubted he told anyone. He just categorised it along with all the other things they never talked about. They were good at not talking.
“How did you even get back to - wherever it is you went - 1890 something?” Jack asked pulling Gwen’s hair away from the gash in her forehead.
“Yeah.” Ianto said quietly, standing up. He jogged to the SUV, wrenched open the boot and pulled out the medical kit. He strode back to Gwen, placing the kit down. He took a deep breath and pulled out the fountain watch from his pocket. It was quite useless now, nonetheless, still very beautiful.
“I picked this up from the kitchen the first night we were here,” Ianto said, carefully avoiding Jack’s eyes. Ianto stilled any lecture he was about to receive. “I know - you know those funny rift outs?”
“Yeah,” Jack said opening the medical kit.
“Well, it was temporal energy, time energy, the rift spiked over Anghyswllt Tŷ, with the temporal energy, and transferred it the watch somehow…once I picked up the watch, it transferred some of the temporal energy to me,”
“But you’re human, your system couldn’t have coped - oh,” Jack finished quietly, searching through the medical kit.
“Yeah, it’s why I fell ill.” Ianto pulled on a pair of latex gloves. “Then the rift spiked with the temporal energy again, and because I was already doused with it, I sort of got transported back.” Ianto frowned. “Does that make sense?” Ianto had never really understood time travel; Jack nodded whilst he checked Gwen’s cut for any dust or dirt.
“How long’ve you been back?”
“A day.” Ianto paused whilst Jack pressed a bandage to her head to stem the flow of blood. “It was me who put the Hub in lockdown.”
“What? Why?”
“You really ought to use gloves,” Ianto said, shifting, he was kneeling on the gravel path; his legs were beginning to ache.
“Why?”
“Because you might infect her cut,” Ianto said pulling out a pair of gloves and handing them to Jack.
“No, I meant, why did you put in the lockdown?” Jack said, ripping the pack open.
“When I got sent back, I must’ve hit my head, I couldn’t remember who I was, I believed I was Idris Jones …”
“Idris Jones?” glancing up at the house whilst blood started to seep across the white bandage pressed to Gwen’s forehead. “The man who lived here last?”
“Yup.”
“Ah, you put the Hub in lockdown so we wouldn’t be able to access the records and realise what was going on...”
“Thus avoiding a paradox.”
“And take if from a man who knows, you don’t want to get mixed up in one of those.” Ianto nodded and handed Jack some medical tap. Jack attached it to the bandage, securing it firmly.
“How long were you there?”
“Three months.” Ianto knees really started to ache so he hauled himself up and stretched his legs.
“Three months? And you didn’t know who you were, didn’t you-” Jack stopped suddenly looking up at Ianto. “So who was that man we met the first night here, he knew you.”
“The real Idris Jones,” Ianto said. “We met.” He wished he’d said goodbye to Mrs Davies now. After all she had done nothing but look after him. He looked down at Gwen, she was still unconscious, but the blanket was moving steadily with her breaths. Jack was prising the gloves off. Ianto bent down and started to pack up the medical kit. A wail could be heard in the distance, Jack sprung to his feet. Thankfully, the ambulance was pulling into the driveway. It parked by the SUV and two paramedics jumped out and started to stride towards them; one was carrying a silver blanket. Ianto gave one last glance over his shoulder to Anghyswllt Tŷ.
He watched a bitter wind blow across the grounds, picking up tiny pieces of gravel and pelting them against the now cracked and broken fountain. He straightened his tie. As he did so, he felt Jack slip his hand into Ianto’s and give it an affectionate squeeze. Ianto really did know the house too well.
Well enough to last him a lifetime.