We Owned the Night
Title: We Owned the Night
Author: Iantojjackh
Character(s)/pairings: Jack/Ianto with a little dash of Owen
Fandom: Torchwood
Prompt: We Owned the Night lyric prompt by aeshna_uk
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Warnings: AUish.
[Spoiler (click to open)]Character death. Some spoilers for DW S2 episodes And TW episode: Cyberwoman
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for a little while. If I owned them, I'd be a very happy woman and I'd treat them better than they had been.
Word Count: 1827
Do you remember when
We woke under a blanket
All tangled up in skin
Not knowing in that moment
We'd never speak again
~~ We Owned The Night, Lady Antebellum
We Owned the Night
Incredible.
Mind-blowing.
Passionate.
Hot.
Amazing.
Once in a lifetime.
Those were only a few of the countless words that described the last five days in the Swiss Alps for two men drawn together by the fates.
One was sent by his doctor for a week of rest and relaxation and the other had planned on using the trip to propose to his girlfriend of two years. However, a week prior to the trip she had decided to her life was lacking something intangible and needed to find herself, leaving him with a holiday that was paid in full. He chose to take a chance and take the trip anyway, paying off in spades. It was supposed to be ski trip but no time was spent on the slopes.
It was a chance meeting in the resort bar with a spilled drink. As the old saying goes...the rest was history.
And old sayings also proclaim nothing good lasts forever and this trip had a finite end and neither man dared to discuss continuing the relationship once they returned home nor acknowledge that their time was coming to an end until they were forced to.
As the day rose on their last morning together, the rays of the sun peeked through the small slit of the curtains, heating the small section of the bed it illuminated. Jack smiled as he felt the warm naked body wrapped around him, the soft shallow breath of his partner hitting his chest. A tuft of dark was barely visible from the top of the fluffy down comforter that cocooned them, generating a comforting warmth that was impossible to give up.
"Shhh. You still have time to sleep. Unless you don't want to sleep, Ianto," Jack hushed as the man next to him started to stir.
"What time is it?" Ianto yawned and snuggled in closer to Jack. There was a distinct sadness in the young Welshman's voice. This much needed escape from reality was over and Ianto wanted to savour every last second of it.
"Not time to get up yet." Jack kissed the top of Ianto's head and sighed contently. For the first time in a very long time, saying goodbye to a fling was going to be difficult. Ripping your heart out of your chest and stomping on it difficult.
Ianto grinned devilishly as he was struck with the perfect idea. At least perfect in his mind and he had a good idea that Jack would agree. "Not time to get up or not time to get out of bed?" The Welshman's hand reached between them and fondled the smooth skin of the Captain until he got to his intended destination and chuckled when he found the other man to already quite hard.
A soft moan escaped Jack's lips as Ianto's cold hands found his warm skin. "At this point I'm thinking of keeping you in bed until you have to leave."
"I have no objection to that."
Their lips met and barely parted until it was time to leave. They made the most of their last few hours.
"You know you can come back with me. I'll give you a job." Jack said as he lounged naked on the bed, watching the irresistible young man get dressed.
Ianto paused and his heart skipped a beat. It was a pipe dream and he knew things would be different once they left the magic of the resort. "Moving to the States is a bit of a crazy move. We've only known each other less than a week." The rational part of Ianto's brain took over as he realised how little they knew about each other.
"Oh, I don't live in the US," Jack grinned. "I think you might be surprised to find that I'm closer than you think. Where in Wales do you live? I live in Cardiff." He got out of bed and stood behind his lover, undoing the buttons of Ianto's shirt.
"Stop that," Ianto chastised Jack as he swatted his hand away. It never crossed his mind that Jack was so close but so far. "I grew up in and around Cardiff, but I've lived in London for the last five years." His eyes fluttered closed as Jack's mouth found his earlobe. Temptation had a name and it's name was Jack Harkness.
"It's only two hours between London and Cardiff." Jack continued his plan of distracting Ianto which now involved slipping his hands down the front of Ianto's trousers. "What's there in London for you?"
"My job. It pays pretty well for being a junior researcher." Ianto whimpered and bit his lip.
"I can pay you more. Then there is the bright side you get to see me every day." Jack knew he was breaking Ianto's resolve and it would not take much more nudging to get his way. "There is only one catch though."
"And here it is!" Ianto knew it was too good to be true.
"If you were to come work with me you'd have to be willing to sign the Official Secrets Act. I know some people might have an issue with that." Jack crinkled his brow when Ianto started to laugh. "What's so funny?"
"That's your big condition? That's not a problem as I've already signed it, but I'm sorry I can't move back to Cardiff. Too many memories." Ianto could no longer face Jack. Past experience told Ianto that living a fantasy ended up in heartache and his childhood was a perfect example of that.
Jack had seen that look too many times. It was one that came with scars of the past. "How about a compromise?"
Ianto huffed and rolled his eyes. "What kind of compromise?"
"You think of what happened these last five days and tell me you don't want to see if there is something real here?" Jack tried not to sound pushy, but once he wanted something he rarely gave up until he had it.
Ianto turned around and looked at Jack, hesitating for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak, "I won't deny that these days with you have been amazing, but this isn't reality. We've been living a fairy tale."
"What happened to you in Cardiff? Why won't you go home?"
"I don't want to talk about it ."
"What about making new memories? The kind of memories that would put a perpetual smile on your face." Jack grinned and placed a gentle kiss on Ianto's lips, taking the time to nibble on his lower lip before pulling away. "Just picture this; me in a leopard print thong."
"Now that is a mental picture to keep me warm on a cold day. What kind of memories are we talking about?" Ianto slightly warmed to the idea of moving back to Cardiff, but was still far from being convinced.
"You'll just have to give me a chance to find out. How about I give a month to think about what you want? No pressure from me. Just call me. Visit me or what ever you want. Just let me know what you decide."
"Two months." Ianto wanted more time to think. A month was not enough time to think on a life altering decision. There seemed as if there would be no middle ground. Returning to Wales would be a smashing success or a speculator failure and that made Ianto most uneasy.
"Six weeks?" Jack countered, offering his best pouting and begging face.
Ianto sighed dramatically but acquiesced to the irresistible Captain. "You've got your six weeks."
The farewell was bittersweet, both men unsure what the next six weeks would bring.
Ianto was distracted as he was fraught with indecision and uncertainty. He had always taken the safe path where he knew what the outcome would be. Ianto would never admit he was afraid to take the uncertain leap. Failure was never an option to him. It was ingrained into him since childhood.
Jack was more tense than before Owen sent him on his sabbatical to the Alps. He wrestled with himself to check up on Ianto, wanting to know all he could about the handsome stranger, but he prevailed and forced himself to wait the six weeks. It was difficult but Jack knew it would be worth the wait.
Then came the Battle of Canary Wharf. Torchwood One was decimated and Torchwood Three was left with the arduous task of cleaning up. Any and all thoughts of the blue-eyed Welshman were pushed to the back of Jack's mind. The six weeks were almost up.
The death and destruction made Jack physically ill. Three days after the battle, pockets of fire still smouldered in the rubble and the stench of death hung thickly in the air. Dalek parts were scattered about. Cybermen bits were flung like unwanted toys and human body parts lined up like a mad scientist's experiment gone wrong.
"Owen! Come in. Where are you?" Jack tapped on his comms as a routine check on his team.
"On the 19th floor. I found a survivor."
"After all this time?"
"The kid's barely hanging on. Can you give me a hand?"
"On my way."
Jack made his way through the debris as fast as he could and by the time he got to Owen, the doctor's face was grim and he shook his head. "Just lost him. I thought he had a chance." Owen sighed defeatedly as he wiped the soot from his face.
"Who was he?" Jack asked, unable to see the face of the body.
"Hold on," Owen winced as he reached into the deceased man's suit jacket and pulled out his identification and piece of paper. "Ianto Jones. Researcher."
"Junior researcher," Jack corrected as tears filled his eyes. Tomorrow would have been six weeks since Jack left the Alps and he should have found out what Ianto's decision was concerning their possible future. Now he would never know what that choice was. It had not crossed Jack's mind that Ianto had been part of Torchwood too. If he had, he would have insisted the Welshman return to Cardiff with him. He had known it was a matter of time that Yvonne Hartman would destroy Torchwood. It was too late for what ifs.
"You okay, Harkness?" Owen turned and looked at his boss, concerned for the other man. The death of a stranger seemed to be hitting the Captain rather hard. It was as if Jack had seen a ghost or was just told his best friend had died.
"I will be," Jack's voice cracked slightly. "What's that?" He pointed to the piece of paper Owen was holding. He was trying to distract himself and not think of the future than could have been.
Owen shrugged as he unfolded the paper he had pulled out with Ianto's ID card. "A train ticket to Cardiff. He was supposed to leave yesterday."
Jack finally had the answer he waited six weeks to hear.