Hidden Identity-Chapter 6
Title: Hidden Identity- Chapter 6/13 + Epilogue
Author: Iantojjackh
Rating: PG
Summary: Jack and Ianto have returned to Earth and brought the 456 with them. Just another day in the adventures of Jack and Ianto
Characters: Jack Harkness, Alonso Frame, Gwen Cooper, Rhys Williams, Rhiannon Davies, Ianto Jones, Tenth Doctor, Twelfth Doctor,
Spoilers: CoE compliant fix-it and The End of Time (DW)
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me. I just borrowed them for a short spell. I wish I owned them so there wouldn't be the need to write fix-its like this.
Word Count: ~26k
Beta: timelordshines
Notes: this originally started off as a prompt from jo02 from the torchwood-fest member created fest way back earlier this year. After several starts and stops, I finally finished this.
Chapter 6
An hour after leaving Ianto, Jack found himself walking across Roald Dahl Plass, since the hub exploded. He reached up and touched the reconstructed water tower and realised the perception filter was long gone. Jack could not help but to wonder what became of the things below. The cool water slid through his fingers as he prepared his last goodbye.
Jack had to admit it was different being in Cardiff again. It did not feel right, for as much as he missed the place, it became clear to him that his home was wherever he was with Ianto and anyplace that he was no longer welcomed could not be home.
"Jack?" The familiar Welsh accent pulled Jack back from the painful place his mind was starting to drift.
"Rhys!" Jack put his bravest face forward. "It's been a while," he said softly, slipping his hands into his pocket to hide his ring. It was easier than having to deal with the questions that would surely come.
"Yes it has," Rhys was about to offer his hand but Jack had obviously slipped his hands away to avoid that. "You look well." He'd almost say that Jack looked very happy. A drastic change from the last time he saw him.
"Thanks." Jack was at a loss for words, which was very rare for him. "It was nice seeing you again. I really should be going." It was not the time for small talk and Rhys was not someone he wanted to talk to. "I'll see you around, yeah?" He did not wait for a response but was stopped before he could get very far.
"Oi, Jack Harkness! Where do you think you’re going?" Gwen yelled out across the Plass.
So much for a clean get away. Jack forced a smile and turned around. It wasn't that Jack didn't want to see Gwen, it was that he felt guilty that he could not share the news that Ianto was alive.
However, Gwen was not alone. Beside Rhys and an infant in a pram, there was a stern looking woman with dark coloured hair and a young girl with light coloured hair. To make matters even worse, Gwen was obviously pregnant and so was her friend. The uncertain hormones were not something that Jack wanted to deal with. "Don't you look stunning, Ms. Cooper!" Jack did what he did best and that was flirt. He approached the group with wide smile and a sense of trepidation.
"I'm not going to bite your head off, you daft sod," Gwen pulled her friend in for a tight hug and refused to let go. "How long have you been back?"
"A few hours," Jack replied, returning the embrace.
"Does this mean you are staying?" Gwen pulled out of the hug and took Jack's hands into hers. That's when she noticed the ring he had on. "What's this?" Gwen pointed to the ring.
"And look you're pregnant again. Congratulations." Jack quickly changed the subject.
"Don't change the subject. You got married?" Gwen asked looking between the ring and Jack's face, trying to get a read on her friend.
"Maybe. Kinda sort of. Met him on that cold fusion cruiser I left for last year." Jack played the semantics game. It really was not a marriage or union that would be recognised on Earth, but the perpetual grin on his face told the tale of just how happy he was. The complete opposite of Gwen's dark haired friend who’s expression soured the moment Jack mentioned marriage.
"That's a rather unique ring," Gwen was taken in by its beauty. "What's it made of?" Gwen allowed herself to be distracted for a moment.
"A metal not of this world. The colour reflects the mood of the other wearer and I would say my dear husband is very worried or agitated right now." Jack wondered if it was something other than the nerves of being back in Cardiff that was bothering Ianto since the ring had become a deeper shade of red in the last few minutes.
"You don't waste any time do you?" The other woman spoke up, her voice filled with hostility.
"And it's your concern, how?" Jack asked, not having any idea who this woman was and why his personal life was any of her business.
"You have no idea who I am do you?" The woman's anger boiled over at his crassness and insensitivity.
"Should I?" Jack said dismissively and turned to Gwen. "What the hell is your friend's problem?"
Gwen winced at Jack's attitude, not sure how Jack would take to the identity of the woman that was angry with him. "Jack!" Gwen leaned toward Jack to whisper the rest him. "That's Rhiannon, Ianto's sister."
Jack did not react. He could not react without risking exposure of his secret. "Doesn't explain why she is mad at me." Jack had a good idea why she was mad, but he had to pretend he didn't. This was the one thing neither him nor Ianto had thought about, a negative reaction to learning Jack was married.
"Really Jack?" Gwen narrowed her eyes, wondering if she'd have to spell it out to him.
"Really what?" Jack said defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You're a jerk." Rhiannon yelled reaching up to hit Jack, but he backed up just in time, avoiding a fist to the face.
"Thank you for that assessment," Jack smiled grimly, stuffing his hands onto his pockets and turning on his heel to walk away. The Captain did not get far as his body stiffened and froze in place and he let out an ear splitting scream before speaking in the eerie voice, "You said you would fight. Then I take it back, alright? I take it all back-but not him! Don’t go. Don’t leave me, please. They must pay for killing one of our kind."
Once the trance was broken Jack continued to walk as if nothing had happened, oblivious to the chaos unfolding behind him.
"Mica, look at me," Rhiannon said in a panic, lightly shaking her daughter.
"Oi, what?" Mica asked, not knowing why her mother was so upset.
Gwen and Rhys exchanged worried expressions at the familiar situation. It was just like last time with the exception that Jack had been put into the trance with the children. This time they were direct and to the point and they were obviously looking for Jack.
"Jack!" Gwen yelled several times, but he was clearly ignoring her.
Rhys knew well enough to stay out of it where Jack was concerned with his wife and he turned to Anwen, whom he now held tightly in his arms. "I thought we were done with the crazy stuff." He whispered to the infant who was amused by the craziness.
"The 456 are back." Gwen shouted, knowing it was something that Jack could not ignore. She did not want to believe it but what else could it be?
Jack stopped and turned. He was obviously not amused at Gwen's attempt to rein him in. "That is not even funny. What kind of sick joke is that?" He looked around and saw some children with some panicked parents, but he had not seen them speak in unison.
"Then I take it back, alright? I take it all back-but not him! Does that mean something to you?" Gwen watched as all colour drained from Jack's face.
"Where did you hear that?"
"You and every child around just said it." It did not take long for Gwen to put the pieces together and figure out where the statements came from, but she could not understand why those words were chosen. Everything came back to two words: Thames House.
Once Jack re-evaluated the scene and saw the fright on every parent’s face, he knew Gwen was telling the truth. "The virus." It was the only explanation if the 456 had spoken through him. And if that was true then the same must have happened to Ianto as well. Jack looked at his ring and saw it was an even deeper shade of red, if possible, than before which meant that Ianto probably experienced the trance as well.
"They want you, Jack. You came back and they followed." Gwen shouted as Jack took off running. "Don't run away! You've got to take care of this. Where do you think you are going? How am I supposed contact you?" Gwen was furious that Jack was running away again, not dealing with his problems.
Jack stopped once he realised Gwen was not going to stop. "I'm not running away. I have to check on someone."
"Your husband?" Gwen showed her distaste for that idea. She wondered who broke through to Jack and got him to do the one thing he swore he never would do again and why he was more important than dealing with the problem that just arose.
"Yes!' Jack was not in the mood for this. "We will take care of this. We're at a hotel near the arena." He purposefully left it vague, knowing there were several hotels nearby and Gwen would track them down if she wanted to. The frantic Captain did not waste any more time and ran at full sprint toward the hotel.
"Is he really just running away?" Rhiannon said in disbelief as she tried to hug Mica who was struggling not to be held. "Why are they back? I thought you said they were gone. What was their message about and why is he talking like the children? Was it like that last time?"
Gwen was in no shape to run after him and she cursed him for being vague but not so vague with where he was staying. "No..." Gwen answered distractedly as she watched Jack hurry away. She realised Jack gave the answer before he left. "It all comes back to what happened at Thames House. Jack was exposed to the virus and now he has a link to them. That message was directed at Jack. I never listened to the tapes, but by the way Jack reacted I'm pretty sure... Jack knew those words… from Thames House," she turned to look at Rhi, “I’ve got to find where Jack is staying. I need to know what is going on.” With that she hurried across the Plass towards the taxi rank, leaving Rhys alone with Rhiannon and the children.
Rhys let out a long sigh. He had not missed the insanity that came with Torchwood and now it was back in full force and Jack was the centre of attention as usual.
"Is this how it always was?" Rhiannon asked, rubbing her stomach which was being used as a punching bag. She wondered what kind of life Ianto had before he died and how he dealt with someone like Jack.
"Pretty much." Rhys said resigned to that fact. "I'll tell you all about it." He nodded toward one of the many restaurants by the bay so they could sit and have the long discussion of what being a family member of a Torchwood operative was like.
To be continued... Chapter 7
Previous Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Author: Iantojjackh
Rating: PG
Summary: Jack and Ianto have returned to Earth and brought the 456 with them. Just another day in the adventures of Jack and Ianto
Characters: Jack Harkness, Alonso Frame, Gwen Cooper, Rhys Williams, Rhiannon Davies, Ianto Jones, Tenth Doctor, Twelfth Doctor,
Spoilers: CoE compliant fix-it and The End of Time (DW)
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me. I just borrowed them for a short spell. I wish I owned them so there wouldn't be the need to write fix-its like this.
Word Count: ~26k
Beta: timelordshines
Notes: this originally started off as a prompt from jo02 from the torchwood-fest member created fest way back earlier this year. After several starts and stops, I finally finished this.
Chapter 6
An hour after leaving Ianto, Jack found himself walking across Roald Dahl Plass, since the hub exploded. He reached up and touched the reconstructed water tower and realised the perception filter was long gone. Jack could not help but to wonder what became of the things below. The cool water slid through his fingers as he prepared his last goodbye.
Jack had to admit it was different being in Cardiff again. It did not feel right, for as much as he missed the place, it became clear to him that his home was wherever he was with Ianto and anyplace that he was no longer welcomed could not be home.
"Jack?" The familiar Welsh accent pulled Jack back from the painful place his mind was starting to drift.
"Rhys!" Jack put his bravest face forward. "It's been a while," he said softly, slipping his hands into his pocket to hide his ring. It was easier than having to deal with the questions that would surely come.
"Yes it has," Rhys was about to offer his hand but Jack had obviously slipped his hands away to avoid that. "You look well." He'd almost say that Jack looked very happy. A drastic change from the last time he saw him.
"Thanks." Jack was at a loss for words, which was very rare for him. "It was nice seeing you again. I really should be going." It was not the time for small talk and Rhys was not someone he wanted to talk to. "I'll see you around, yeah?" He did not wait for a response but was stopped before he could get very far.
"Oi, Jack Harkness! Where do you think you’re going?" Gwen yelled out across the Plass.
So much for a clean get away. Jack forced a smile and turned around. It wasn't that Jack didn't want to see Gwen, it was that he felt guilty that he could not share the news that Ianto was alive.
However, Gwen was not alone. Beside Rhys and an infant in a pram, there was a stern looking woman with dark coloured hair and a young girl with light coloured hair. To make matters even worse, Gwen was obviously pregnant and so was her friend. The uncertain hormones were not something that Jack wanted to deal with. "Don't you look stunning, Ms. Cooper!" Jack did what he did best and that was flirt. He approached the group with wide smile and a sense of trepidation.
"I'm not going to bite your head off, you daft sod," Gwen pulled her friend in for a tight hug and refused to let go. "How long have you been back?"
"A few hours," Jack replied, returning the embrace.
"Does this mean you are staying?" Gwen pulled out of the hug and took Jack's hands into hers. That's when she noticed the ring he had on. "What's this?" Gwen pointed to the ring.
"And look you're pregnant again. Congratulations." Jack quickly changed the subject.
"Don't change the subject. You got married?" Gwen asked looking between the ring and Jack's face, trying to get a read on her friend.
"Maybe. Kinda sort of. Met him on that cold fusion cruiser I left for last year." Jack played the semantics game. It really was not a marriage or union that would be recognised on Earth, but the perpetual grin on his face told the tale of just how happy he was. The complete opposite of Gwen's dark haired friend who’s expression soured the moment Jack mentioned marriage.
"That's a rather unique ring," Gwen was taken in by its beauty. "What's it made of?" Gwen allowed herself to be distracted for a moment.
"A metal not of this world. The colour reflects the mood of the other wearer and I would say my dear husband is very worried or agitated right now." Jack wondered if it was something other than the nerves of being back in Cardiff that was bothering Ianto since the ring had become a deeper shade of red in the last few minutes.
"You don't waste any time do you?" The other woman spoke up, her voice filled with hostility.
"And it's your concern, how?" Jack asked, not having any idea who this woman was and why his personal life was any of her business.
"You have no idea who I am do you?" The woman's anger boiled over at his crassness and insensitivity.
"Should I?" Jack said dismissively and turned to Gwen. "What the hell is your friend's problem?"
Gwen winced at Jack's attitude, not sure how Jack would take to the identity of the woman that was angry with him. "Jack!" Gwen leaned toward Jack to whisper the rest him. "That's Rhiannon, Ianto's sister."
Jack did not react. He could not react without risking exposure of his secret. "Doesn't explain why she is mad at me." Jack had a good idea why she was mad, but he had to pretend he didn't. This was the one thing neither him nor Ianto had thought about, a negative reaction to learning Jack was married.
"Really Jack?" Gwen narrowed her eyes, wondering if she'd have to spell it out to him.
"Really what?" Jack said defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You're a jerk." Rhiannon yelled reaching up to hit Jack, but he backed up just in time, avoiding a fist to the face.
"Thank you for that assessment," Jack smiled grimly, stuffing his hands onto his pockets and turning on his heel to walk away. The Captain did not get far as his body stiffened and froze in place and he let out an ear splitting scream before speaking in the eerie voice, "You said you would fight. Then I take it back, alright? I take it all back-but not him! Don’t go. Don’t leave me, please. They must pay for killing one of our kind."
Once the trance was broken Jack continued to walk as if nothing had happened, oblivious to the chaos unfolding behind him.
"Mica, look at me," Rhiannon said in a panic, lightly shaking her daughter.
"Oi, what?" Mica asked, not knowing why her mother was so upset.
Gwen and Rhys exchanged worried expressions at the familiar situation. It was just like last time with the exception that Jack had been put into the trance with the children. This time they were direct and to the point and they were obviously looking for Jack.
"Jack!" Gwen yelled several times, but he was clearly ignoring her.
Rhys knew well enough to stay out of it where Jack was concerned with his wife and he turned to Anwen, whom he now held tightly in his arms. "I thought we were done with the crazy stuff." He whispered to the infant who was amused by the craziness.
"The 456 are back." Gwen shouted, knowing it was something that Jack could not ignore. She did not want to believe it but what else could it be?
Jack stopped and turned. He was obviously not amused at Gwen's attempt to rein him in. "That is not even funny. What kind of sick joke is that?" He looked around and saw some children with some panicked parents, but he had not seen them speak in unison.
"Then I take it back, alright? I take it all back-but not him! Does that mean something to you?" Gwen watched as all colour drained from Jack's face.
"Where did you hear that?"
"You and every child around just said it." It did not take long for Gwen to put the pieces together and figure out where the statements came from, but she could not understand why those words were chosen. Everything came back to two words: Thames House.
Once Jack re-evaluated the scene and saw the fright on every parent’s face, he knew Gwen was telling the truth. "The virus." It was the only explanation if the 456 had spoken through him. And if that was true then the same must have happened to Ianto as well. Jack looked at his ring and saw it was an even deeper shade of red, if possible, than before which meant that Ianto probably experienced the trance as well.
"They want you, Jack. You came back and they followed." Gwen shouted as Jack took off running. "Don't run away! You've got to take care of this. Where do you think you are going? How am I supposed contact you?" Gwen was furious that Jack was running away again, not dealing with his problems.
Jack stopped once he realised Gwen was not going to stop. "I'm not running away. I have to check on someone."
"Your husband?" Gwen showed her distaste for that idea. She wondered who broke through to Jack and got him to do the one thing he swore he never would do again and why he was more important than dealing with the problem that just arose.
"Yes!' Jack was not in the mood for this. "We will take care of this. We're at a hotel near the arena." He purposefully left it vague, knowing there were several hotels nearby and Gwen would track them down if she wanted to. The frantic Captain did not waste any more time and ran at full sprint toward the hotel.
"Is he really just running away?" Rhiannon said in disbelief as she tried to hug Mica who was struggling not to be held. "Why are they back? I thought you said they were gone. What was their message about and why is he talking like the children? Was it like that last time?"
Gwen was in no shape to run after him and she cursed him for being vague but not so vague with where he was staying. "No..." Gwen answered distractedly as she watched Jack hurry away. She realised Jack gave the answer before he left. "It all comes back to what happened at Thames House. Jack was exposed to the virus and now he has a link to them. That message was directed at Jack. I never listened to the tapes, but by the way Jack reacted I'm pretty sure... Jack knew those words… from Thames House," she turned to look at Rhi, “I’ve got to find where Jack is staying. I need to know what is going on.” With that she hurried across the Plass towards the taxi rank, leaving Rhys alone with Rhiannon and the children.
Rhys let out a long sigh. He had not missed the insanity that came with Torchwood and now it was back in full force and Jack was the centre of attention as usual.
"Is this how it always was?" Rhiannon asked, rubbing her stomach which was being used as a punching bag. She wondered what kind of life Ianto had before he died and how he dealt with someone like Jack.
"Pretty much." Rhys said resigned to that fact. "I'll tell you all about it." He nodded toward one of the many restaurants by the bay so they could sit and have the long discussion of what being a family member of a Torchwood operative was like.
To be continued... Chapter 7
Previous Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5