Sanguine
Title: Sanguine
Series: Something that starts with "S", part sixteen
Characters: Jack & Ianto, Gwen, OFC
Rating: R
Summary: A situation far from the hub reminds Jack just where Ianto stands.
A/N: For horizonssing day 26. A serious chapter before Smut Sunday.
Ianto was still fuming as they made their way to Llanddwyn Island. They were forced to leave the car quite some distance and trek in on foot. While Jack seemed up for the exercise, Ianto was silently running every scenario through his mind and mapping resolutions and back up plans- it was better to be prepared than taken by surprise. Martha had texted to say that UNIT had dispatched a team from Liverpool, and it should arrive by helicopter within the hour. Ianto relaxed slightly at that since it would mean a rapid escape plan if things went pear shaped.
"You're thinking too loud Ianto, its just a reconnaissance mission. We'll check the area and leave the heavy lifting to UNIT." Jack grabbed the sleeve of Ianto's bush jacket, "I promise I won't do anything overly heroic."
Ianto sighed; he hated that Jack could sometimes read his feelings so easily, "as long as you don't get yourself killed. I don't think." Ianto snapped his mouth shut- not wanting to possibly jinx the situation. He tried to push the thought out of his mind, but it persisted- holding a dead Jack in his arms, knowing that the baby was dead. "Right. Let's get there in one piece first, then we can decide what to do. We need to hurry up, the tide's about to turn." Ianto clasped Jack's hand tight and began the hike to the island.
"Why's the tide a concern?" Jack was curious.
Ianto's encyclopedic brain responded without prompting, "Ynys Llanddwyn isn't totally an island- there's a land bridge; but at high tide it makes crossing impossible. We have two hours until high tide, so we need to get moving." Ianto unconsciously ran his free hand down to check that both his gun and the stun gun were still on his hip, and that his pocket watch was in his pocket. Jack smiled at the gesture, knowing that Ianto always liked to be prepared for anything and it was usually for good reason. Even on a supposed weekend holiday, Ianto had complete field tactical and medical kits in the boot of his car, and the mini-arsenal that always made Jack laugh residing where the first aid kit should in his Audi.
As they finally reached the beach leading to the island, they stopped to look. There was definitely something odd going on; they could see a distortion- almost as if part of the island was viewed through a soap bubble. "Well, so much for it being nothing," Jack muttered. "We might as well take some scans from here rather than approaching. I don't like that glow coming from the building out there." There appeared to be a golden glow similar to rift energy coming from the white building at the far side of the island. "How long until UNIT gets here?"
Ianto checked his watch, "if Martha's correct, they should be here any minute." The distinct thwack of helicopter propellers announced the arrival of the UNIT team, as it landed on the landward side of the island. Jack and Ianto approached carefully, not wanting to spook military grunts- while Torchwood tended to deal with the daily flotsam and jetsam, UNIT was usually only involved in near-world-destruction, so they did tend to be a bit more on edge. As expected, the black uniformed UNIT soldiers exited the copter with their weapons drawn and on high alert. An officer followed behind his squad and noted Jack and Ianto approaching.
"Halt. State your name and your reason for being here. This area is under UNIT jurisdiction." The unnamed officer barked.
Both Jack and Ianto stiffened at the typically arrogant military power play. Jack smiled and put his hand out, "Captain Jack Harkness, head of Torchwood Three; this is my tactical officer, Ianto Jones."
Ianto quickly took over, "we'd like to thank UNIT for their assistance, but per the accord, this is Torchwood jurisdiction until such time as the nature of the situation requires UNIT involvement. If you could please recall your soldiers from the immediate area so we can complete our scans? Thank you kindly." Ianto turned from the officer and opened his kit to begin scanning the area. Jack could only smile and wink at the miffed UNIT officer.
Ianto didn't like being rude, but he'd had enough experience with UNIT to know that their typical modus operandi involved shooting first and not always in the right direction. He had the modified scanner out looking for anything to explain the strange distortions they could see and was concerned when the warning messages began displaying on the screen followed by his pocket watch vibrating. Ianto stepped back and grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him towards a rock outcrop. Jack looked at Ianto with an eyebrow raised, but didn't question.
"Ianto? Ianto, get down quick, get everyone down!" The voice crackled over his comm before going silent.
"Down! Everyone Down!" Ianto pushed Jack down and covered him with his own body.
Like a deflating ballon, the distortion bubble collapsed around the building before the light brightened and with a concussive wave, the bubble burst- blasting everything flat in its path. The UNIT helicopter was destroyed by the blast, and Jack felt the rocks collapse down on top of himself and Ianto.
Jack's ears were buzzing so loudly he could hardly hear; all he knew was that red UNIT berets were swirling in front of him and black blurs pulled him into a seated position. He saw hands waving in his face, and he swatted them away. "Ianto? Ianto!" Jack yelled and tried to rise but the combination of the soldier's hands on his shoulders and his head ringing made it difficult. Jack could feel himself passing out.
---
Jack was on the beach of his childhood home. The breeze coming from the ocean brought the tang of salt to his tongue and a light sting to his skin. The city structure was clear on the sand bar, he could see children playing closer to the water, playing a game of ball. He saw a little girl with shining blue eyes and a familiar laugh score a goal. The girl made a victory lap and jumped into the arms of a tall man with dark hair. Jack knew this man, how his dark hair curled and the way his head tilted when he laughed. The man and child turned and Jack wanted to cry out- blood was pouring from the man's chest, and his smile was fading as he turned to walk into the ocean, his hands still holding the little girl.
"No!" Jack sat up quickly screaming. He was panting in fear, looking around him- he was on a cot in the room near the med bay that Martha had converted for recuperation, a mess of wires attached to him and the IV beeping along. He noticed that one of the monitors was strapped to his midsection and he breathed a sigh of relief that the data displayed was apparently normal. Jack began unhooking himself from the medical equipment when Gwen rushed into the room.
"Gwen! Where's Ianto? What happened?" Jack was about to pull the IV from his arm.
Gwen pushed Jack back onto the cot, "stop right there Jack Harkness. You will leave that IV in and not touch the monitors. You got beat to a pulp out there and Martha wants you healthy. You try to leave and I'll tie you down! Now stay put and I'll tell you what I know."
Jack stopped, looking at Gwen. She had been crying, but her voice was far too stable for the worst to be true. "Tell me. Please."
"He'll be okay. A rock fragment went through his back and punctured a lung. Martha's finishing up now. A couple of broken ribs and a wrist fracture; he's just going to be sore. Breathe now Jack." Gwen ran a hand up and down his arm, "Ianto's scans showed that the object was unstable and right before the blast it just disappeared. Two UNIT squads have combed the island and found nothing. Do you need anything? Martha will come when she's done." Gwen sat on the edge of the bed and held his hand. "Jack?"
Jack looked at his stomach, "he knew what was happening. He pushed me down behind a rock outcrop and threw himself on top of me." Jack looked at Gwen with tears running down his face. "Why?"
Gwen hugged him, "you know Jack, sometimes you are an utter idiot. If you don't know why Ianto would risk his life to protect you, then maybe you don't deserve him. I'll get you some water." Gwen gave him a light kiss on the cheek and left the room.
---
Jack was sitting next to Ianto as he slept on the medical bay table. The IV bag of antibiotics hung next to the second pint of blood Martha decided Ianto needed. She confirmed Gwen's words, a chunk of rock had fallen in such a way that it broke several of Ianto's ribs and one punctured his lung. It could have been so much worse, a punctured heart the worst of them. Jack still wondered how Ianto was able to react so quickly when the data was coming in, but if he hadn't. Jack shuddered at the thought, a world without Ianto Jones. Jack saw the gold light brighten the medical bay, but he didn't turn before speaking, "you warned him."
"Yes."
Jack looked at Branwen, her eyes looked as tired as Jack felt, "it would have been a lot worse." Again stated, not asked.
"Much." Branwen walked around to sit opposite Jack as she ran her fingers through the hair on Ianto's temple much like Jack was. "Rock fragments would have pelted him when he pushed himself in front of you at the last second. One impact just to the side of his left eye would damage the eye socket- he'd go blind in the eye within five years. Hitting the ground would drive another rock into his stomach and he'd lose a kidney, a rock fragment would embed itself in his spinal column." A very Ianto-like half smile appeared on her face as she looked at Jack. "After the time ripple hit, he lifted me in his arms and twirled me around. For the first time in my entire life, my Tad could pick me up." She gave Ianto a small kiss on the forehead before standing to leave.
"He didn't need to put himself between the danger and me," Jack said resting his hand on Ianto's forehead.
Branwen rested her hand on Jack's shoulder for a moment. "Of course he did. He's Ianto Jones and he'll always put those he loves before himself. Just make sure you're deserving of that Captain."
The story continues in Silence
Series: Something that starts with "S", part sixteen
Characters: Jack & Ianto, Gwen, OFC
Rating: R
Summary: A situation far from the hub reminds Jack just where Ianto stands.
A/N: For horizonssing day 26. A serious chapter before Smut Sunday.
Ianto was still fuming as they made their way to Llanddwyn Island. They were forced to leave the car quite some distance and trek in on foot. While Jack seemed up for the exercise, Ianto was silently running every scenario through his mind and mapping resolutions and back up plans- it was better to be prepared than taken by surprise. Martha had texted to say that UNIT had dispatched a team from Liverpool, and it should arrive by helicopter within the hour. Ianto relaxed slightly at that since it would mean a rapid escape plan if things went pear shaped.
"You're thinking too loud Ianto, its just a reconnaissance mission. We'll check the area and leave the heavy lifting to UNIT." Jack grabbed the sleeve of Ianto's bush jacket, "I promise I won't do anything overly heroic."
Ianto sighed; he hated that Jack could sometimes read his feelings so easily, "as long as you don't get yourself killed. I don't think." Ianto snapped his mouth shut- not wanting to possibly jinx the situation. He tried to push the thought out of his mind, but it persisted- holding a dead Jack in his arms, knowing that the baby was dead. "Right. Let's get there in one piece first, then we can decide what to do. We need to hurry up, the tide's about to turn." Ianto clasped Jack's hand tight and began the hike to the island.
"Why's the tide a concern?" Jack was curious.
Ianto's encyclopedic brain responded without prompting, "Ynys Llanddwyn isn't totally an island- there's a land bridge; but at high tide it makes crossing impossible. We have two hours until high tide, so we need to get moving." Ianto unconsciously ran his free hand down to check that both his gun and the stun gun were still on his hip, and that his pocket watch was in his pocket. Jack smiled at the gesture, knowing that Ianto always liked to be prepared for anything and it was usually for good reason. Even on a supposed weekend holiday, Ianto had complete field tactical and medical kits in the boot of his car, and the mini-arsenal that always made Jack laugh residing where the first aid kit should in his Audi.
As they finally reached the beach leading to the island, they stopped to look. There was definitely something odd going on; they could see a distortion- almost as if part of the island was viewed through a soap bubble. "Well, so much for it being nothing," Jack muttered. "We might as well take some scans from here rather than approaching. I don't like that glow coming from the building out there." There appeared to be a golden glow similar to rift energy coming from the white building at the far side of the island. "How long until UNIT gets here?"
Ianto checked his watch, "if Martha's correct, they should be here any minute." The distinct thwack of helicopter propellers announced the arrival of the UNIT team, as it landed on the landward side of the island. Jack and Ianto approached carefully, not wanting to spook military grunts- while Torchwood tended to deal with the daily flotsam and jetsam, UNIT was usually only involved in near-world-destruction, so they did tend to be a bit more on edge. As expected, the black uniformed UNIT soldiers exited the copter with their weapons drawn and on high alert. An officer followed behind his squad and noted Jack and Ianto approaching.
"Halt. State your name and your reason for being here. This area is under UNIT jurisdiction." The unnamed officer barked.
Both Jack and Ianto stiffened at the typically arrogant military power play. Jack smiled and put his hand out, "Captain Jack Harkness, head of Torchwood Three; this is my tactical officer, Ianto Jones."
Ianto quickly took over, "we'd like to thank UNIT for their assistance, but per the accord, this is Torchwood jurisdiction until such time as the nature of the situation requires UNIT involvement. If you could please recall your soldiers from the immediate area so we can complete our scans? Thank you kindly." Ianto turned from the officer and opened his kit to begin scanning the area. Jack could only smile and wink at the miffed UNIT officer.
Ianto didn't like being rude, but he'd had enough experience with UNIT to know that their typical modus operandi involved shooting first and not always in the right direction. He had the modified scanner out looking for anything to explain the strange distortions they could see and was concerned when the warning messages began displaying on the screen followed by his pocket watch vibrating. Ianto stepped back and grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him towards a rock outcrop. Jack looked at Ianto with an eyebrow raised, but didn't question.
"Ianto? Ianto, get down quick, get everyone down!" The voice crackled over his comm before going silent.
"Down! Everyone Down!" Ianto pushed Jack down and covered him with his own body.
Like a deflating ballon, the distortion bubble collapsed around the building before the light brightened and with a concussive wave, the bubble burst- blasting everything flat in its path. The UNIT helicopter was destroyed by the blast, and Jack felt the rocks collapse down on top of himself and Ianto.
Jack's ears were buzzing so loudly he could hardly hear; all he knew was that red UNIT berets were swirling in front of him and black blurs pulled him into a seated position. He saw hands waving in his face, and he swatted them away. "Ianto? Ianto!" Jack yelled and tried to rise but the combination of the soldier's hands on his shoulders and his head ringing made it difficult. Jack could feel himself passing out.
---
Jack was on the beach of his childhood home. The breeze coming from the ocean brought the tang of salt to his tongue and a light sting to his skin. The city structure was clear on the sand bar, he could see children playing closer to the water, playing a game of ball. He saw a little girl with shining blue eyes and a familiar laugh score a goal. The girl made a victory lap and jumped into the arms of a tall man with dark hair. Jack knew this man, how his dark hair curled and the way his head tilted when he laughed. The man and child turned and Jack wanted to cry out- blood was pouring from the man's chest, and his smile was fading as he turned to walk into the ocean, his hands still holding the little girl.
"No!" Jack sat up quickly screaming. He was panting in fear, looking around him- he was on a cot in the room near the med bay that Martha had converted for recuperation, a mess of wires attached to him and the IV beeping along. He noticed that one of the monitors was strapped to his midsection and he breathed a sigh of relief that the data displayed was apparently normal. Jack began unhooking himself from the medical equipment when Gwen rushed into the room.
"Gwen! Where's Ianto? What happened?" Jack was about to pull the IV from his arm.
Gwen pushed Jack back onto the cot, "stop right there Jack Harkness. You will leave that IV in and not touch the monitors. You got beat to a pulp out there and Martha wants you healthy. You try to leave and I'll tie you down! Now stay put and I'll tell you what I know."
Jack stopped, looking at Gwen. She had been crying, but her voice was far too stable for the worst to be true. "Tell me. Please."
"He'll be okay. A rock fragment went through his back and punctured a lung. Martha's finishing up now. A couple of broken ribs and a wrist fracture; he's just going to be sore. Breathe now Jack." Gwen ran a hand up and down his arm, "Ianto's scans showed that the object was unstable and right before the blast it just disappeared. Two UNIT squads have combed the island and found nothing. Do you need anything? Martha will come when she's done." Gwen sat on the edge of the bed and held his hand. "Jack?"
Jack looked at his stomach, "he knew what was happening. He pushed me down behind a rock outcrop and threw himself on top of me." Jack looked at Gwen with tears running down his face. "Why?"
Gwen hugged him, "you know Jack, sometimes you are an utter idiot. If you don't know why Ianto would risk his life to protect you, then maybe you don't deserve him. I'll get you some water." Gwen gave him a light kiss on the cheek and left the room.
---
Jack was sitting next to Ianto as he slept on the medical bay table. The IV bag of antibiotics hung next to the second pint of blood Martha decided Ianto needed. She confirmed Gwen's words, a chunk of rock had fallen in such a way that it broke several of Ianto's ribs and one punctured his lung. It could have been so much worse, a punctured heart the worst of them. Jack still wondered how Ianto was able to react so quickly when the data was coming in, but if he hadn't. Jack shuddered at the thought, a world without Ianto Jones. Jack saw the gold light brighten the medical bay, but he didn't turn before speaking, "you warned him."
"Yes."
Jack looked at Branwen, her eyes looked as tired as Jack felt, "it would have been a lot worse." Again stated, not asked.
"Much." Branwen walked around to sit opposite Jack as she ran her fingers through the hair on Ianto's temple much like Jack was. "Rock fragments would have pelted him when he pushed himself in front of you at the last second. One impact just to the side of his left eye would damage the eye socket- he'd go blind in the eye within five years. Hitting the ground would drive another rock into his stomach and he'd lose a kidney, a rock fragment would embed itself in his spinal column." A very Ianto-like half smile appeared on her face as she looked at Jack. "After the time ripple hit, he lifted me in his arms and twirled me around. For the first time in my entire life, my Tad could pick me up." She gave Ianto a small kiss on the forehead before standing to leave.
"He didn't need to put himself between the danger and me," Jack said resting his hand on Ianto's forehead.
Branwen rested her hand on Jack's shoulder for a moment. "Of course he did. He's Ianto Jones and he'll always put those he loves before himself. Just make sure you're deserving of that Captain."
The story continues in Silence