Tales Of A Time Agency - 16/?
Title: Tales of A Time Agency - 16/?
Rating: NC-17 to be safe.
Pairings: Jack/Ianto but it’s the Time Agency so expect Jack/John, Tosh/Owen, Ianto/John, Tosh/Mary, John/ OFC, John/the consenting population of the universe……
Spoilers: Anything Torchwood could be hinted at.
Summary: Ianto Jones is thrown into the world of excess of the Time Agency Academy, but will he sink or swim? Especially when the enigmatic Jack Harkness starts looking his way…. In this chapter, Ianto and Jack are making progress in more ways than one, whilst at the same time they are unable to avoid John…
Disclaimer: Regrettably I own nothing, none of the characters, zip. Wish I did though. I will take the credit for Telmaya though; I’m quite fond of her.
Author’s Notes: So...back to TOATA, armed with a chapter of contrast, or at least so I hope. Either way, I must give thanks to the ever wonderful thehubsitter and the ever amazing naddypants , as really I would never ever be able to get this far without them. I also should thank everyone who has stuck with me here, since writing for you all continues to be such a pleasure, and your comments really do keep my scribbling away at my laptop.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five A
Chapter Five B
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight A
Chapter Eight B
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven A
Chapter Eleven B
Janto Interlude
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Dedicated to the never endingly superb naddypants , the girl who keeps me writing and then amazes me for how she can boost my confidence and along the way makes me smile so much. Also to the astoundingly fabulous thehubsitter , the girl who keeps me sane, supports me so much and entertains my mind with images of a weight lifting Owen.
Chapter 16 is especially dedicated to morgia . Life has been a bit tough for her recently, yet she still supports me! So this is for you ma cherie! Enjoy the Janto and I hope it makes you smile.
It was just another day.
And strangely, Ianto Jones had never really felt better.
He’d woken up to an empty bed, the bright sunlight from the world outside pouring into Jack’s room, spotlighting his body and stinging at his eyes. For a second he had felt lost, alone, confused as he glanced around the familiar four walls, squinting as the harsh light bounced off the white and onto his retinas. But when his gaze had fallen onto Jack’s form sat in the corner of the room, his legs crossed and his face focused, Ianto had found a soft smile spread across his features. Drawing his knees up under his chin, Ianto was content to just sit there for a moment and watch Jack, the other cadet wearing only his boxer shorts as he continued to punch numbers into his wrist strap, not even aware of Ianto watching. It felt clichéd, but Ianto liked seeing Jack like this. There was no pretence, no false images of an undying arrogance and self confidence. This was just Jack, his hair ruffled and unkempt, his features no longer shaped by the people, or the world around them. It was merely a rare, yet intimate glimpse of the man Ianto had fallen in love with. The man who he had fallen for so freely, even without knowing the real him. And now that he did, that love was showing no signs of disappearing any time soon.
“What are you doing?” Ianto laughed softly as he spoke, grinning as he watched Jack jump from the sudden noise. He looked up, his azure eyes meeting Ianto’s softly, a gentle smile shaping his mouth.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I was.” Ianto smirked. “But I have a habit of waking up.”
“Very funny.” Jack rolled his eyes, before nodding his head across to the small dining area of his room. “Can I get you anything?”
“No thanks. But you could answer my question.”
“And what was that?”
“For you to tell me what you’re up to.” Ianto smiled, shaking his head softly. “Haven’t seen you concentrate like that for a while.”
“I’m trying to get a fix on the Time Agency co-ordinates.” Jack sighed, lifting up his wrist in an attempt to show Ianto the flashing screen.
“Why?”
“You expect me to hack into a system I have no co-ordinates for?” The other cadet laughed quickly, standing up and moving to sit beside Ianto on the bed. “I have to know where a system is being generated from so that I can send a spike in to penetrate it.”
“Oh….” Ianto smiled weakly, giving him a quick glance. “I had no idea that you would start working on this so quickly.”
“And risk you having another night like last night?” Jack shook his head. “I’m not going to do that.” He took in a deep breath, watching Ianto’s features carefully. “Anyway, I have no idea how long this is going to take me to set up.”
“How difficult is it?”
“Difficult.” Jack sighed, tapping at a particular reading on the screen. “See, none of us cadets know where the real HQ of the Time Agency is, we only know that it is situated somewhere on our sister planet, Adronax Major.”
“So how can we locate it?”
“By tracing the signals produced by TARA equipment. The academy is sending information to the Time Agency constantly. Its how they monitor us.”
“So if you trace those signals, you can find out where they end up?”
“In theory, yeah. But it’s not that simple.” Jack bit his lip, tapping at a constantly changing graph on the screen. “From what I can make out, the Time Agency base’s co-ordinates are constantly changing.”
“But…wouldn’t that mean that the base was moving?”
“Not necessarily.” He shook his head. “They probably have a locality oscillator.”
“What the hell is that?”
“You really don’t read much do you?” Jack smirked, laughing softly before continuing. “It’s a device which acts like an electronic shield, scrambling any unprotected signals that get in range so that anyone who detects them also detects a series of irregular co-ordinates.”
“Making their base invisible. Even to us?”
“Exactly.”
“Then that’s it isn’t it? The end.” Ianto sighed quickly, running a hand through his hair. “If we can’t locate them, then we can’t hack their systems.”
“You’re too quick to give up Yan.”
“Why?”
“Because I have an idea on how to get around this.”
“Are you planning on sharing it?”
“Of course…” Jack smiled, nudging him in the side. “But aren’t I allowed to build up a little intrigue before hand?” He laughed, watching as Ianto frowned at him. “Locality oscillators aren’t perfect. They occasionally fail, and so the real co-ordinates will end up being transmitted sometimes. Usually this isn’t a problem, since they are mixed in with all the other random co-ordinates and aren’t detected.”
“But if we take enough samples of co-ordinates then we’ll be able to work out how many times the real co-ordinates reappear?”
“Very good.” Jack smiled, nodding quickly. “You’re right. It’s safe enough to assume that any co-ordinates that reappear a number of times are the real co-ordinates. All I have to do is run a scan constantly and trace every signal TARA sends to Adronax Major.”
“And how long will that take?”
“No idea. It’s not an exact science. It just all depends on how good their locality oscillators actually are.”
“So now we wait?”
“In short? Yeah. It’s all we can do.” Jack shrugged, closing the lid on his wrist strap and leaning back on the bed, his head resting against the wall. “If there’s a quicker way, it’s beyond me. Sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“What?”
“Thank you.” Ianto repeated softly, giving him a weak smile. “For all this, everything you’re doing to help me. I’m sorry that I had to ask you but-”
“Hey…” Jack butted in quickly, reaching out with his left hand and giving Ianto’s arm a quick squeeze. “You don’t owe me thanks or an apology.”
“I do.”
“You don’t.” Leaning forward, Jack brought his face in front of Ianto’s, forcing him to look him in the eye. “Remember when we first met? That night when you stopped me from getting a bullet between the eyes outside Poseidon?” He paused, waiting until Ianto nodded softly in reply. “The next morning you said you would be my friend. I never forgot that you know.”
“But this is so much bigger than that.”
“Same principle applies.” Jack grinned quickly. “You needed me last night, just like I needed you months ago. Can’t exactly turn my back on you can I?”
“You could.”
“But I’m not going to.”
Ianto knew that he should be pleased, touched, even honoured by Jack’s words. He was telling him that he would stand by him, promising to help him when he needed him to. But deep down Ianto felt almost hurt. It was so obvious to him now that Jack was merely helping Ianto because he felt he had to. Because they were ‘friends’. Ianto was beginning to wish that he had never mentioned that word to Jack in the first place. After all, now he wanted so much more than that. He wanted Jack, all of him. He wanted to possess every one of his flaws and qualities and be able to love them equally. He just wanted to be able to call Jack his. To in turn know that he was Jack’s. In some ways, Ianto just wanted to be able to feel that he was allowed to love Jack Harkness. And in reality, he knew he could never really have that whilst Jack didn’t feel the same.
“Is that the only reason?” The words were falling from Ianto’s mouth, tumbling out of his consciousness before he could stop and process them. The desire of knowing was so strong, that even he could no longer control it.
“Only reason for what?”
“For you helping me? Because we’re friends?”
“What other reason would there be?”
“I don’t know.”
“I think you do.” Jack smiled knowingly, before looking away and glancing out of the window, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. “What’s it going to take to prove to you that I care?”
“I know you care.” Ianto nodded softly. “Because we’re friends.”
“Yes….and at the same time no.” Jack laughed, rubbing at his eyes quickly. Ianto watched him quickly, noting on how Jack’s hands seemed to be almost trembling as he spoke.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“And you think I am?” The other cadet scoffed, his words coming from his mouth so quickly that he almost sounded as if he was panicking. “Yan….you’ve gotta realise that I care about you more than anyone else.”
“What?” Ianto’s heart was too busy slamming in his chest for him to understand what Jack was saying.
“You heard me.” Jack nodded, risking him a small smile. “And I won’t pretend that it doesn’t scare me half to death.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t understand it. I don’t understand this.” He shook his head quickly, pointing to his skull. “What the hell am I supposed to do when I don’t understand what’s going on in here?”
“You’ve turned into me.” Ianto laughed softly.
“What?”
“Think about it. The first time we slept together, the morning after. You told me that I thought about things far too much.”
“And?”
“Don’t you think that’s what you’re doing now?”
“Maybe….I don’t know. But I wanted you to know.” Jack added nervously, visibly swallowing.
“And now you’ve said it.” Ianto smiled too, although in his mind confusion now raged. He wasn’t sure what Jack’s words meant, but the important thing was that they meant something. He didn’t know if this meant that Jack loved him, or maybe if he was just fond of him, but now at least Ianto knew that there was something more to them than what first met the eye. And that, strange as it was, actually comforted him. “Let’s not push it any further.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.” Ianto nodded, leaning in and pressing a hesitant kiss to Jack’s lips. “You’ve done enough.”
“I haven’t…”
“You have.”
“And you’re biased.”
“Will you stop arguing?” Ianto smirked, kissing him more deliberately this time, his hands moving to Jack’s chest in a single fluid motion. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss instinctively when Jack’s hand wound up into his hair, the other cupping his cheek almost tenderly. In seconds, the confusion and the raw emotion that was pulsing through Ianto’s body soon turned into a more familiar lust, his tongue quickly obsessing over Jack’s subtle taste. He was groaning softly as he pushed the other cadet backwards to lie back on the bed, his own body quickly covering him. Beneath him, Jack’s body writhed, his hands taking in every expanse of Ianto’s flesh as he began to kiss at the older cadet’s neck, sucking at the skin in all the right places. The action earned him a guttural groan from Jack, encouraging him further as he snaked his hand down the cadet’s stomach and into his boxers, Ianto’s long fingers stroking across the hot skin he found there knowingly. He laughed softly, lifting his head and meeting Jack’s gaze.
“One way to….shut me up.” Jack grinned in return, his eyes fluttering closed as Ianto stroked his cock again, more deliberately this time.
“You’ve done so much for me-”
“I haven’t….”
“What did I say about arguing?” Ianto replied quickly, stilling the movements of his hand immediately, a small whimper erupting from in between Jack’s reddened lips. He softened, leaning down and pressing a soft line of butterfly kisses against Jack’s collar bone, his free hand roaming across Jack’s chest. When the slender fingers raked gently across a nipple, Ianto watched in delight as Jack could only gasp, his eyes opening again to look up at him lustfully. He opened his mouth to speak, but as Ianto began to stroke him again, quicker this time, the gesture turned into another ecstasy fuelled moan.
“Yan…..please…”
“Shhhh…..” Ianto soothed softly, meeting his lips in a kiss as he increased the rhythm of his hand, every so often twisting his wrist and watching eagerly as Jack bucked his hips and bit on his lip. The feeling of such a strong body losing so much control beneath him was intoxicating, mesmerising, Ianto became so lost in that time and space that he barely even registered Jack taking his own cock into his hand, mirroring Ianto’s movements perfectly. In unison they both hurtled to the edge, their mouths locked together in a frantic kiss, their spare arms gripping each others shoulders tight, their skin whitening at the knuckles. Ianto was desperately trying to focus, to give Jack something back for everything he had done for him, but as his orgasm rose out through his body he was overcome with a selfish need, his only desire to lose himself in what Jack was doing to him. Buzzes of electricity were shooting through him, that warm feeling at the pit of his stomach growing, moving upwards, so close that his mind was caught between demanding its climax, and wanting the moment to be prolonged forever. But no matter how much he willed it never to end, it did all too quickly, and both he and Jack were falling over the edge and coming hard before either of them could blink an eye.
The sleep that followed was undisturbed, peaceful - the ghosts of Ianto’s past content for now. For the first time since his childhood Ianto felt secure, he felt safe. He had told himself that at TARA things would be different, that the orphan boy living alone in the slums of Jeketter that he used to be was long since dead. But that had been horribly untrue. As even though the slums were gone, along with the arid dustbowl that was his home, Ianto was still that same lost little boy when it came to his dreams. He was still the boy that had had seen his family be torn apart limb by limb, the boy who had lost it all and somehow managed to survive the ordeal. The boy who would kneel by the graves of his dead family every sunset and wipe away the dust and sand that would collect on their grave stones. In some ways, Ianto suspected that he would always be that boy, whether or not he had his revenge. But at least, with Jack, Ianto Jones was shielded from his past. The dreams didn’t dare come to him whilst Jack was sleeping beside him, and even if they did, he knew that Jack would be there to listen to him if they did. With Jack beside him, Ianto was no longer scared of his past. And maybe, that was the biggest lesson he needed to learn of all. After all, he could never be haunted by ghosts that he did not truly fear……
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It was just another day.
And just like any other day, John Hart had found himself back at where he had started.
Poseidon. Or as he preferred to see it, perpetual paradise.
The city of Salvana seemed to almost pulse into life as soon as the midnight air descended upon it. In the revealing light of day, hyper vodka was a dull, transparent liquid, the lights were dimmed bulbs and the bitter mood enhancing pills would stick in your throat. But as soon as night fell, then hyper vodka would glisten from the confines of its glass, lighting would dance throughout the clubs and streets and every single pill and drug could be carelessly swallowed without a single thought. It was funny how everything seemed to change, and yet at the same time nothing really did. After all, if there was one thing that John Hart knew well, it was that whatever is done in the dark is always brought to the light.
Fighting his way through the bustling crowds of dancers, John glanced around the room, scanning the faces for anything that might even present him with a glimmer of lust. Towards the entrance, in one of the darker corners of the club he could see Telmaya, her body encased in a haltered golden dress which just seemed to hug her curves in all the right places. She was laughing, her delicate mouth open and inviting as she continued to flirt with a blonde man who seemed to have taken her fancy that evening. As was their tradition, John and Telmaya had come to Poseidon together, but as soon as they entered through those familiar silver doors they were alone. Normally this didn’t bother John in the slightest, but seeing her there that night caused something inside him to change, the seedlings of jealousy sown deep within him. He could remember all of the night before, every touch of her soft skin, every sound that had left her mouth, every rake of her teeth across his body. He could remember how tender she had felt compared to the rough sex he enjoyed with Ianto and Jack, remember how they had both managed to comfort each other in some twisted way by being together that night. It had been a long time since he had felt something like that, and even more disturbing was the fact that John liked being comforted, as if he almost craved it. After all, it was rarely something that he ever experienced, and therefore John put his sudden jealousy down to the fact that he was simply enjoying the novelty of it all and nothing more. But whatever its cause, the jealousy that John felt had to be cured somehow, and his favourite remedy had and would always be a decent measure of hyper vodka to subdue the world around him that little bit more.
Sliding past the grinding couples on the dance floor, John quickly made it to the bar, grabbing the attention of the bar tender with ease and ordering himself three decent measures of alcohol to start with. He smiled, momentarily watching as the clear liquid hit one of the glasses before glancing around, taking in his scenery. It was the usual crowd, the same faces of the regulars mixed amongst the fresh visages of the occasional new comer. As always many of the people around him were attractive, yet the first hit of hyper vodka to the back of his throat simply made them all that little bit more so. Smirking to himself, John threw back another shot of alcohol, his eyes fleetingly glancing across the oval shaped bar to the other side. A fresh pair of blue eyes were suddenly looking back at him, and as John took them in he felt a deep twisting knot gather in the bottom of his stomach, wrenching its way through his abdomen in a way that felt as if he was being stabbed by a jagged blade. Jack. His intense glare was enough to make John’s skin crawl with both remorse and lust, the penetrating quality of his eyes seeming to look straight through him. Finally tearing his gaze from Jack’s, John quickly noticed another familiar form stood beside him, looking over at him in a look of combined horror and disgust. Ianto. John couldn’t help but smile as he watched Ianto whisper something into Jack’s ear, before disappearing off into the crowd and talking to some oddly familiar Japanese woman, leaving Jack alone at the bar. John shook his head quickly, trying to shake loose the memories of that last conversation he and Jack had shared from his head.
“You and me Jack…..we’re the same! Have you forgotten that?!”
“Not anymore. Not if this is who you are now…”
He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but barely minutes later John was making his around the bar, walking towards Jack with a purposeful stride. A sickly smile was spreading across his features, his heart racing in his chest. With every step, John was falling further into temptation. In his head, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the fight he had had with Jack was replaying, repeating itself over and over. The first few sparks of vengeance had been set alight within him, and now all John could think of was revenge. He wanted to make Jack suffer; make him realise what he had done to him. Make him feel like nothing. And now, there was no way of stopping himself from doing it…
“You’re slowing down.” John smirked, standing beside Jack at the bar, focusing his gaze on the solitary drink it Jack’s hand rather than at his face. He laughed to himself when he received no reply from Jack, heavy electronica pounding in his ears. “Time was you couldn’t get enough of hyper vodka.”
“Keeping my head clear tonight thanks.” Jack didn’t meet John’s gaze, staring straight ahead out into the club, his tone bitter and unsociable.
“Isn’t that a little boring for you?”
“How would you know? Do you even remember what being sober feels like?”
“Everyone’s a fucking critic here.” John laughed to himself, slamming down another bundle of credits onto the bar and lining himself up another row of shots. He turned his back to Jack, slinging back two tumblers of liquid with ease. “Anything else you’d like to criticise whilst I’m here?”
“Plenty.” Jack rolled his eyes, taking a quick sip of his drink in order to avoid John further. Draining the glass, he finally let his gaze slip to John’s, his eyes cold and demanding. “Why are you here?”
“I’m always at Poseidon, you know that.”
“I didn’t mean the club. I meant here.” Jack gave him an exasperated look before indicating to where they were both standing. “You’re usually too busy looking for new conquests about now.”
“The old routine.” John smirked, downing another shot of hyper vodka. “Do you miss it?”
“No.”
“Aw, come on Jack. Surely you do miss it. Just a little?”
“I don’t.”
“Whoa….” John scoffed quickly, risking Jack an arrogant glance. “He must be worth it then.”
“Who?”
“Don’t play innocent with me. You and Eye Candy. Finally made a tearful reunion did you?” He smirked, watching the anger in Jack’s features growing by the second. It was addictive, fuelling him onwards. “It’s nice you know that you still want him even when you’re his last resort.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Sure it isn’t. After all, it’s not like he stopped playing around with me so he could start fucking you is it?” John laughed cynically, throwing back another shot before leaning backwards against the bar, blatantly looking Jack in the eye. “Or did Eye Candy not mention that?”
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Oh I do. Two months of it Jack. Can you imagine that? Two months where he tried to replace you with me.”
“Even if you’re telling the truth.” Jack paused, blinking hard before giving John the calmest stare he could muster, his fists clenched in a silent anger. “Who he fucks has nothing to do with me.”
“And yet you still care.” John replied with a cold and bitter chuckle. “Quite pathetic when you think about it. You could still have anyone, and yet you’ve chained yourself to one insignificant freshie…”
“Watch your mouth.” In a blur of motion Jack’s left hand reached out, grabbing John’s wrist hard and pinning it to the bar counter. The pressure of his fingers slowly intensified as he spoke, cutting off the circulation into John’s hand. “Neither of us have anything to do with you anymore. Why don’t you just fuck off?”
“I’m enjoying it far too much here.” John smirked, glancing down at Jack’s hand around his wrist as if it was the most comical thing he had seen. He paused, leaning in forward so that he could whisper into Jack’s ear. “Tonight…when you get Ianto just how you want him, naked, spread out in front of you and groaning, then I want you take a good long look at him. At his hips, at the insides of his thighs. Every little scratch and bruise you find there…..they’ll all from me.” Licking his lips, John pulled back so that his face was barely inches from Jack’s, a sickening smile spreading out across his features. “And oh yeah….he asked me nicely. He pleaded. He begged.”
As soon as that final word left his mouth, John’s speech was cut off by Jack’s right hand tight around his throat, squeezing, his neck so compressed that he almost felt as if his head was detached from his body. Gasping short sharp breaths like a fish out of water, John felt powerless as Jack brought his face closer, his eyes burning with rage.
“It’s all a fucking game to you isn’t it John? Playing with people’s lives, taking from them what you can and giving nothing back? Nothing is real to you. Except this….because I swear if you even think of going near him again-”
“Then what Jack?......Are you trying to defend his honour?” John was spluttering now, Jack’s choking hold making his eyes water, feel as if they were about to bulge out of his skull at any moment. Every ounce of intelligence and self preservation in his body was telling him to stop, but the words carried on leaking from his mouth, burning on his tongue. “Bit late though aren’t you? Can’t defend someone who is just as low as you…”
“I swear. You stop this right now…”
“Stop what? The truth? Stop telling you all about how many times I slept with him. How many times I could see him trying to forget you? He’s nothing Jack…..just a hyped up one night stand…Easy, just like the rest of us.” In an instant John found himself hurtling backwards to the floor, a combination of a sharp blow to the face and harsh shove sending him flying off his feet. As he fell to the hard stone floor of the club John felt his right wrist twist out of shape, an acute pain passing up his arm and into his shoulder. Around him there were a few startled gasps as the people around them stopped and stared, whist his vision blurred around him in confusion. Immediately he tried to stand, but a searing pain in his abdomen stopped him, his eyes just open enough to see Jack as he kicked him again hard in the stomach. Letting out a rough groan, John took the punishment without retaliation, his body submitting to all the pent up rage that Jack seemed to be releasing at his expense. A part of him felt as if he deserved it; deserved the pain to teach him that his sickening desire to destroy everything around him could never be a good thing. John could barely even think straight, and as the pain mounted time itself seemed to slow, the club fading around him in intensity. He could hear a familiar woman’s screams, pleas, the sound piercing into his skull. Rolling onto his back when the kicks subsided he saw to Telmaya there, screeching at Jack in horror before she leant down to examine him. Behind her, he could see Jack, an unknown emotion of combined rage and regret written across his face as Ianto held him back, pulling him towards the exit of the club as fast as he could. It was ironic, that Ianto, in most ways the cause of everything, was now stepping in to save his skin. It made John laugh, even in that state, the salty taste of blood from his nose and lip trickling into his open mouth. The random shapes of the club twisted and tilted around him, Telmaya’s concerned face also distorting from view as John suddenly became more aware of the pain ripping through his body, from his bruised ribs, to his broken nose and most likely his by now shattered wrist. The intensity of the pain was familiar, and as he felt his sight slowly pass out into the darkness of unconsciousness, John realised that this would be a moment he would remember forever.
After all, he had reached his ultimate goal in his relationship with Jack. He had pushed him too far, and in doing so he had turned him into the man that he remembered from their time at TARA. For those brief few anger fuelled minutes, Jack had been his Jack, his best friend. The bruises and the injuries he had sustained would heal, but the lesson John had learnt that night was like no other. For he had learnt that his Jack was gone, and the only way to get him back would be to hurt him like his words had that night all over again. Even though John Hart had been trained to ignore his heart, that still didn’t mean that he didn’t have one deep down somewhere, however screwed up and twisted it might be.
It was over, his game with Jack finished. He had won. And for the first time in his life, as John Hart truly slipped out of consciousness, he really wished that he hadn’t.
So then, after this journey of a chapter, what do we think? I have to say that your thoughts mean more than ever now that I am attempting to start a real plot here. But of course, you have read this far, and I thank you for that! :)
Just Being Me a.k.a Siany
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Click here for Chapter 17!!!
Rating: NC-17 to be safe.
Pairings: Jack/Ianto but it’s the Time Agency so expect Jack/John, Tosh/Owen, Ianto/John, Tosh/Mary, John/ OFC, John/the consenting population of the universe……
Spoilers: Anything Torchwood could be hinted at.
Summary: Ianto Jones is thrown into the world of excess of the Time Agency Academy, but will he sink or swim? Especially when the enigmatic Jack Harkness starts looking his way…. In this chapter, Ianto and Jack are making progress in more ways than one, whilst at the same time they are unable to avoid John…
Disclaimer: Regrettably I own nothing, none of the characters, zip. Wish I did though. I will take the credit for Telmaya though; I’m quite fond of her.
Author’s Notes: So...back to TOATA, armed with a chapter of contrast, or at least so I hope. Either way, I must give thanks to the ever wonderful thehubsitter and the ever amazing naddypants , as really I would never ever be able to get this far without them. I also should thank everyone who has stuck with me here, since writing for you all continues to be such a pleasure, and your comments really do keep my scribbling away at my laptop.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five A
Chapter Five B
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight A
Chapter Eight B
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven A
Chapter Eleven B
Janto Interlude
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Dedicated to the never endingly superb naddypants , the girl who keeps me writing and then amazes me for how she can boost my confidence and along the way makes me smile so much. Also to the astoundingly fabulous thehubsitter , the girl who keeps me sane, supports me so much and entertains my mind with images of a weight lifting Owen.
Chapter 16 is especially dedicated to morgia . Life has been a bit tough for her recently, yet she still supports me! So this is for you ma cherie! Enjoy the Janto and I hope it makes you smile.
It was just another day.
And strangely, Ianto Jones had never really felt better.
He’d woken up to an empty bed, the bright sunlight from the world outside pouring into Jack’s room, spotlighting his body and stinging at his eyes. For a second he had felt lost, alone, confused as he glanced around the familiar four walls, squinting as the harsh light bounced off the white and onto his retinas. But when his gaze had fallen onto Jack’s form sat in the corner of the room, his legs crossed and his face focused, Ianto had found a soft smile spread across his features. Drawing his knees up under his chin, Ianto was content to just sit there for a moment and watch Jack, the other cadet wearing only his boxer shorts as he continued to punch numbers into his wrist strap, not even aware of Ianto watching. It felt clichéd, but Ianto liked seeing Jack like this. There was no pretence, no false images of an undying arrogance and self confidence. This was just Jack, his hair ruffled and unkempt, his features no longer shaped by the people, or the world around them. It was merely a rare, yet intimate glimpse of the man Ianto had fallen in love with. The man who he had fallen for so freely, even without knowing the real him. And now that he did, that love was showing no signs of disappearing any time soon.
“What are you doing?” Ianto laughed softly as he spoke, grinning as he watched Jack jump from the sudden noise. He looked up, his azure eyes meeting Ianto’s softly, a gentle smile shaping his mouth.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I was.” Ianto smirked. “But I have a habit of waking up.”
“Very funny.” Jack rolled his eyes, before nodding his head across to the small dining area of his room. “Can I get you anything?”
“No thanks. But you could answer my question.”
“And what was that?”
“For you to tell me what you’re up to.” Ianto smiled, shaking his head softly. “Haven’t seen you concentrate like that for a while.”
“I’m trying to get a fix on the Time Agency co-ordinates.” Jack sighed, lifting up his wrist in an attempt to show Ianto the flashing screen.
“Why?”
“You expect me to hack into a system I have no co-ordinates for?” The other cadet laughed quickly, standing up and moving to sit beside Ianto on the bed. “I have to know where a system is being generated from so that I can send a spike in to penetrate it.”
“Oh….” Ianto smiled weakly, giving him a quick glance. “I had no idea that you would start working on this so quickly.”
“And risk you having another night like last night?” Jack shook his head. “I’m not going to do that.” He took in a deep breath, watching Ianto’s features carefully. “Anyway, I have no idea how long this is going to take me to set up.”
“How difficult is it?”
“Difficult.” Jack sighed, tapping at a particular reading on the screen. “See, none of us cadets know where the real HQ of the Time Agency is, we only know that it is situated somewhere on our sister planet, Adronax Major.”
“So how can we locate it?”
“By tracing the signals produced by TARA equipment. The academy is sending information to the Time Agency constantly. Its how they monitor us.”
“So if you trace those signals, you can find out where they end up?”
“In theory, yeah. But it’s not that simple.” Jack bit his lip, tapping at a constantly changing graph on the screen. “From what I can make out, the Time Agency base’s co-ordinates are constantly changing.”
“But…wouldn’t that mean that the base was moving?”
“Not necessarily.” He shook his head. “They probably have a locality oscillator.”
“What the hell is that?”
“You really don’t read much do you?” Jack smirked, laughing softly before continuing. “It’s a device which acts like an electronic shield, scrambling any unprotected signals that get in range so that anyone who detects them also detects a series of irregular co-ordinates.”
“Making their base invisible. Even to us?”
“Exactly.”
“Then that’s it isn’t it? The end.” Ianto sighed quickly, running a hand through his hair. “If we can’t locate them, then we can’t hack their systems.”
“You’re too quick to give up Yan.”
“Why?”
“Because I have an idea on how to get around this.”
“Are you planning on sharing it?”
“Of course…” Jack smiled, nudging him in the side. “But aren’t I allowed to build up a little intrigue before hand?” He laughed, watching as Ianto frowned at him. “Locality oscillators aren’t perfect. They occasionally fail, and so the real co-ordinates will end up being transmitted sometimes. Usually this isn’t a problem, since they are mixed in with all the other random co-ordinates and aren’t detected.”
“But if we take enough samples of co-ordinates then we’ll be able to work out how many times the real co-ordinates reappear?”
“Very good.” Jack smiled, nodding quickly. “You’re right. It’s safe enough to assume that any co-ordinates that reappear a number of times are the real co-ordinates. All I have to do is run a scan constantly and trace every signal TARA sends to Adronax Major.”
“And how long will that take?”
“No idea. It’s not an exact science. It just all depends on how good their locality oscillators actually are.”
“So now we wait?”
“In short? Yeah. It’s all we can do.” Jack shrugged, closing the lid on his wrist strap and leaning back on the bed, his head resting against the wall. “If there’s a quicker way, it’s beyond me. Sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“What?”
“Thank you.” Ianto repeated softly, giving him a weak smile. “For all this, everything you’re doing to help me. I’m sorry that I had to ask you but-”
“Hey…” Jack butted in quickly, reaching out with his left hand and giving Ianto’s arm a quick squeeze. “You don’t owe me thanks or an apology.”
“I do.”
“You don’t.” Leaning forward, Jack brought his face in front of Ianto’s, forcing him to look him in the eye. “Remember when we first met? That night when you stopped me from getting a bullet between the eyes outside Poseidon?” He paused, waiting until Ianto nodded softly in reply. “The next morning you said you would be my friend. I never forgot that you know.”
“But this is so much bigger than that.”
“Same principle applies.” Jack grinned quickly. “You needed me last night, just like I needed you months ago. Can’t exactly turn my back on you can I?”
“You could.”
“But I’m not going to.”
Ianto knew that he should be pleased, touched, even honoured by Jack’s words. He was telling him that he would stand by him, promising to help him when he needed him to. But deep down Ianto felt almost hurt. It was so obvious to him now that Jack was merely helping Ianto because he felt he had to. Because they were ‘friends’. Ianto was beginning to wish that he had never mentioned that word to Jack in the first place. After all, now he wanted so much more than that. He wanted Jack, all of him. He wanted to possess every one of his flaws and qualities and be able to love them equally. He just wanted to be able to call Jack his. To in turn know that he was Jack’s. In some ways, Ianto just wanted to be able to feel that he was allowed to love Jack Harkness. And in reality, he knew he could never really have that whilst Jack didn’t feel the same.
“Is that the only reason?” The words were falling from Ianto’s mouth, tumbling out of his consciousness before he could stop and process them. The desire of knowing was so strong, that even he could no longer control it.
“Only reason for what?”
“For you helping me? Because we’re friends?”
“What other reason would there be?”
“I don’t know.”
“I think you do.” Jack smiled knowingly, before looking away and glancing out of the window, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. “What’s it going to take to prove to you that I care?”
“I know you care.” Ianto nodded softly. “Because we’re friends.”
“Yes….and at the same time no.” Jack laughed, rubbing at his eyes quickly. Ianto watched him quickly, noting on how Jack’s hands seemed to be almost trembling as he spoke.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“And you think I am?” The other cadet scoffed, his words coming from his mouth so quickly that he almost sounded as if he was panicking. “Yan….you’ve gotta realise that I care about you more than anyone else.”
“What?” Ianto’s heart was too busy slamming in his chest for him to understand what Jack was saying.
“You heard me.” Jack nodded, risking him a small smile. “And I won’t pretend that it doesn’t scare me half to death.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t understand it. I don’t understand this.” He shook his head quickly, pointing to his skull. “What the hell am I supposed to do when I don’t understand what’s going on in here?”
“You’ve turned into me.” Ianto laughed softly.
“What?”
“Think about it. The first time we slept together, the morning after. You told me that I thought about things far too much.”
“And?”
“Don’t you think that’s what you’re doing now?”
“Maybe….I don’t know. But I wanted you to know.” Jack added nervously, visibly swallowing.
“And now you’ve said it.” Ianto smiled too, although in his mind confusion now raged. He wasn’t sure what Jack’s words meant, but the important thing was that they meant something. He didn’t know if this meant that Jack loved him, or maybe if he was just fond of him, but now at least Ianto knew that there was something more to them than what first met the eye. And that, strange as it was, actually comforted him. “Let’s not push it any further.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.” Ianto nodded, leaning in and pressing a hesitant kiss to Jack’s lips. “You’ve done enough.”
“I haven’t…”
“You have.”
“And you’re biased.”
“Will you stop arguing?” Ianto smirked, kissing him more deliberately this time, his hands moving to Jack’s chest in a single fluid motion. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss instinctively when Jack’s hand wound up into his hair, the other cupping his cheek almost tenderly. In seconds, the confusion and the raw emotion that was pulsing through Ianto’s body soon turned into a more familiar lust, his tongue quickly obsessing over Jack’s subtle taste. He was groaning softly as he pushed the other cadet backwards to lie back on the bed, his own body quickly covering him. Beneath him, Jack’s body writhed, his hands taking in every expanse of Ianto’s flesh as he began to kiss at the older cadet’s neck, sucking at the skin in all the right places. The action earned him a guttural groan from Jack, encouraging him further as he snaked his hand down the cadet’s stomach and into his boxers, Ianto’s long fingers stroking across the hot skin he found there knowingly. He laughed softly, lifting his head and meeting Jack’s gaze.
“One way to….shut me up.” Jack grinned in return, his eyes fluttering closed as Ianto stroked his cock again, more deliberately this time.
“You’ve done so much for me-”
“I haven’t….”
“What did I say about arguing?” Ianto replied quickly, stilling the movements of his hand immediately, a small whimper erupting from in between Jack’s reddened lips. He softened, leaning down and pressing a soft line of butterfly kisses against Jack’s collar bone, his free hand roaming across Jack’s chest. When the slender fingers raked gently across a nipple, Ianto watched in delight as Jack could only gasp, his eyes opening again to look up at him lustfully. He opened his mouth to speak, but as Ianto began to stroke him again, quicker this time, the gesture turned into another ecstasy fuelled moan.
“Yan…..please…”
“Shhhh…..” Ianto soothed softly, meeting his lips in a kiss as he increased the rhythm of his hand, every so often twisting his wrist and watching eagerly as Jack bucked his hips and bit on his lip. The feeling of such a strong body losing so much control beneath him was intoxicating, mesmerising, Ianto became so lost in that time and space that he barely even registered Jack taking his own cock into his hand, mirroring Ianto’s movements perfectly. In unison they both hurtled to the edge, their mouths locked together in a frantic kiss, their spare arms gripping each others shoulders tight, their skin whitening at the knuckles. Ianto was desperately trying to focus, to give Jack something back for everything he had done for him, but as his orgasm rose out through his body he was overcome with a selfish need, his only desire to lose himself in what Jack was doing to him. Buzzes of electricity were shooting through him, that warm feeling at the pit of his stomach growing, moving upwards, so close that his mind was caught between demanding its climax, and wanting the moment to be prolonged forever. But no matter how much he willed it never to end, it did all too quickly, and both he and Jack were falling over the edge and coming hard before either of them could blink an eye.
The sleep that followed was undisturbed, peaceful - the ghosts of Ianto’s past content for now. For the first time since his childhood Ianto felt secure, he felt safe. He had told himself that at TARA things would be different, that the orphan boy living alone in the slums of Jeketter that he used to be was long since dead. But that had been horribly untrue. As even though the slums were gone, along with the arid dustbowl that was his home, Ianto was still that same lost little boy when it came to his dreams. He was still the boy that had had seen his family be torn apart limb by limb, the boy who had lost it all and somehow managed to survive the ordeal. The boy who would kneel by the graves of his dead family every sunset and wipe away the dust and sand that would collect on their grave stones. In some ways, Ianto suspected that he would always be that boy, whether or not he had his revenge. But at least, with Jack, Ianto Jones was shielded from his past. The dreams didn’t dare come to him whilst Jack was sleeping beside him, and even if they did, he knew that Jack would be there to listen to him if they did. With Jack beside him, Ianto was no longer scared of his past. And maybe, that was the biggest lesson he needed to learn of all. After all, he could never be haunted by ghosts that he did not truly fear……
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was just another day.
And just like any other day, John Hart had found himself back at where he had started.
Poseidon. Or as he preferred to see it, perpetual paradise.
The city of Salvana seemed to almost pulse into life as soon as the midnight air descended upon it. In the revealing light of day, hyper vodka was a dull, transparent liquid, the lights were dimmed bulbs and the bitter mood enhancing pills would stick in your throat. But as soon as night fell, then hyper vodka would glisten from the confines of its glass, lighting would dance throughout the clubs and streets and every single pill and drug could be carelessly swallowed without a single thought. It was funny how everything seemed to change, and yet at the same time nothing really did. After all, if there was one thing that John Hart knew well, it was that whatever is done in the dark is always brought to the light.
Fighting his way through the bustling crowds of dancers, John glanced around the room, scanning the faces for anything that might even present him with a glimmer of lust. Towards the entrance, in one of the darker corners of the club he could see Telmaya, her body encased in a haltered golden dress which just seemed to hug her curves in all the right places. She was laughing, her delicate mouth open and inviting as she continued to flirt with a blonde man who seemed to have taken her fancy that evening. As was their tradition, John and Telmaya had come to Poseidon together, but as soon as they entered through those familiar silver doors they were alone. Normally this didn’t bother John in the slightest, but seeing her there that night caused something inside him to change, the seedlings of jealousy sown deep within him. He could remember all of the night before, every touch of her soft skin, every sound that had left her mouth, every rake of her teeth across his body. He could remember how tender she had felt compared to the rough sex he enjoyed with Ianto and Jack, remember how they had both managed to comfort each other in some twisted way by being together that night. It had been a long time since he had felt something like that, and even more disturbing was the fact that John liked being comforted, as if he almost craved it. After all, it was rarely something that he ever experienced, and therefore John put his sudden jealousy down to the fact that he was simply enjoying the novelty of it all and nothing more. But whatever its cause, the jealousy that John felt had to be cured somehow, and his favourite remedy had and would always be a decent measure of hyper vodka to subdue the world around him that little bit more.
Sliding past the grinding couples on the dance floor, John quickly made it to the bar, grabbing the attention of the bar tender with ease and ordering himself three decent measures of alcohol to start with. He smiled, momentarily watching as the clear liquid hit one of the glasses before glancing around, taking in his scenery. It was the usual crowd, the same faces of the regulars mixed amongst the fresh visages of the occasional new comer. As always many of the people around him were attractive, yet the first hit of hyper vodka to the back of his throat simply made them all that little bit more so. Smirking to himself, John threw back another shot of alcohol, his eyes fleetingly glancing across the oval shaped bar to the other side. A fresh pair of blue eyes were suddenly looking back at him, and as John took them in he felt a deep twisting knot gather in the bottom of his stomach, wrenching its way through his abdomen in a way that felt as if he was being stabbed by a jagged blade. Jack. His intense glare was enough to make John’s skin crawl with both remorse and lust, the penetrating quality of his eyes seeming to look straight through him. Finally tearing his gaze from Jack’s, John quickly noticed another familiar form stood beside him, looking over at him in a look of combined horror and disgust. Ianto. John couldn’t help but smile as he watched Ianto whisper something into Jack’s ear, before disappearing off into the crowd and talking to some oddly familiar Japanese woman, leaving Jack alone at the bar. John shook his head quickly, trying to shake loose the memories of that last conversation he and Jack had shared from his head.
“You and me Jack…..we’re the same! Have you forgotten that?!”
“Not anymore. Not if this is who you are now…”
He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but barely minutes later John was making his around the bar, walking towards Jack with a purposeful stride. A sickly smile was spreading across his features, his heart racing in his chest. With every step, John was falling further into temptation. In his head, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the fight he had had with Jack was replaying, repeating itself over and over. The first few sparks of vengeance had been set alight within him, and now all John could think of was revenge. He wanted to make Jack suffer; make him realise what he had done to him. Make him feel like nothing. And now, there was no way of stopping himself from doing it…
“You’re slowing down.” John smirked, standing beside Jack at the bar, focusing his gaze on the solitary drink it Jack’s hand rather than at his face. He laughed to himself when he received no reply from Jack, heavy electronica pounding in his ears. “Time was you couldn’t get enough of hyper vodka.”
“Keeping my head clear tonight thanks.” Jack didn’t meet John’s gaze, staring straight ahead out into the club, his tone bitter and unsociable.
“Isn’t that a little boring for you?”
“How would you know? Do you even remember what being sober feels like?”
“Everyone’s a fucking critic here.” John laughed to himself, slamming down another bundle of credits onto the bar and lining himself up another row of shots. He turned his back to Jack, slinging back two tumblers of liquid with ease. “Anything else you’d like to criticise whilst I’m here?”
“Plenty.” Jack rolled his eyes, taking a quick sip of his drink in order to avoid John further. Draining the glass, he finally let his gaze slip to John’s, his eyes cold and demanding. “Why are you here?”
“I’m always at Poseidon, you know that.”
“I didn’t mean the club. I meant here.” Jack gave him an exasperated look before indicating to where they were both standing. “You’re usually too busy looking for new conquests about now.”
“The old routine.” John smirked, downing another shot of hyper vodka. “Do you miss it?”
“No.”
“Aw, come on Jack. Surely you do miss it. Just a little?”
“I don’t.”
“Whoa….” John scoffed quickly, risking Jack an arrogant glance. “He must be worth it then.”
“Who?”
“Don’t play innocent with me. You and Eye Candy. Finally made a tearful reunion did you?” He smirked, watching the anger in Jack’s features growing by the second. It was addictive, fuelling him onwards. “It’s nice you know that you still want him even when you’re his last resort.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Sure it isn’t. After all, it’s not like he stopped playing around with me so he could start fucking you is it?” John laughed cynically, throwing back another shot before leaning backwards against the bar, blatantly looking Jack in the eye. “Or did Eye Candy not mention that?”
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Oh I do. Two months of it Jack. Can you imagine that? Two months where he tried to replace you with me.”
“Even if you’re telling the truth.” Jack paused, blinking hard before giving John the calmest stare he could muster, his fists clenched in a silent anger. “Who he fucks has nothing to do with me.”
“And yet you still care.” John replied with a cold and bitter chuckle. “Quite pathetic when you think about it. You could still have anyone, and yet you’ve chained yourself to one insignificant freshie…”
“Watch your mouth.” In a blur of motion Jack’s left hand reached out, grabbing John’s wrist hard and pinning it to the bar counter. The pressure of his fingers slowly intensified as he spoke, cutting off the circulation into John’s hand. “Neither of us have anything to do with you anymore. Why don’t you just fuck off?”
“I’m enjoying it far too much here.” John smirked, glancing down at Jack’s hand around his wrist as if it was the most comical thing he had seen. He paused, leaning in forward so that he could whisper into Jack’s ear. “Tonight…when you get Ianto just how you want him, naked, spread out in front of you and groaning, then I want you take a good long look at him. At his hips, at the insides of his thighs. Every little scratch and bruise you find there…..they’ll all from me.” Licking his lips, John pulled back so that his face was barely inches from Jack’s, a sickening smile spreading out across his features. “And oh yeah….he asked me nicely. He pleaded. He begged.”
As soon as that final word left his mouth, John’s speech was cut off by Jack’s right hand tight around his throat, squeezing, his neck so compressed that he almost felt as if his head was detached from his body. Gasping short sharp breaths like a fish out of water, John felt powerless as Jack brought his face closer, his eyes burning with rage.
“It’s all a fucking game to you isn’t it John? Playing with people’s lives, taking from them what you can and giving nothing back? Nothing is real to you. Except this….because I swear if you even think of going near him again-”
“Then what Jack?......Are you trying to defend his honour?” John was spluttering now, Jack’s choking hold making his eyes water, feel as if they were about to bulge out of his skull at any moment. Every ounce of intelligence and self preservation in his body was telling him to stop, but the words carried on leaking from his mouth, burning on his tongue. “Bit late though aren’t you? Can’t defend someone who is just as low as you…”
“I swear. You stop this right now…”
“Stop what? The truth? Stop telling you all about how many times I slept with him. How many times I could see him trying to forget you? He’s nothing Jack…..just a hyped up one night stand…Easy, just like the rest of us.” In an instant John found himself hurtling backwards to the floor, a combination of a sharp blow to the face and harsh shove sending him flying off his feet. As he fell to the hard stone floor of the club John felt his right wrist twist out of shape, an acute pain passing up his arm and into his shoulder. Around him there were a few startled gasps as the people around them stopped and stared, whist his vision blurred around him in confusion. Immediately he tried to stand, but a searing pain in his abdomen stopped him, his eyes just open enough to see Jack as he kicked him again hard in the stomach. Letting out a rough groan, John took the punishment without retaliation, his body submitting to all the pent up rage that Jack seemed to be releasing at his expense. A part of him felt as if he deserved it; deserved the pain to teach him that his sickening desire to destroy everything around him could never be a good thing. John could barely even think straight, and as the pain mounted time itself seemed to slow, the club fading around him in intensity. He could hear a familiar woman’s screams, pleas, the sound piercing into his skull. Rolling onto his back when the kicks subsided he saw to Telmaya there, screeching at Jack in horror before she leant down to examine him. Behind her, he could see Jack, an unknown emotion of combined rage and regret written across his face as Ianto held him back, pulling him towards the exit of the club as fast as he could. It was ironic, that Ianto, in most ways the cause of everything, was now stepping in to save his skin. It made John laugh, even in that state, the salty taste of blood from his nose and lip trickling into his open mouth. The random shapes of the club twisted and tilted around him, Telmaya’s concerned face also distorting from view as John suddenly became more aware of the pain ripping through his body, from his bruised ribs, to his broken nose and most likely his by now shattered wrist. The intensity of the pain was familiar, and as he felt his sight slowly pass out into the darkness of unconsciousness, John realised that this would be a moment he would remember forever.
After all, he had reached his ultimate goal in his relationship with Jack. He had pushed him too far, and in doing so he had turned him into the man that he remembered from their time at TARA. For those brief few anger fuelled minutes, Jack had been his Jack, his best friend. The bruises and the injuries he had sustained would heal, but the lesson John had learnt that night was like no other. For he had learnt that his Jack was gone, and the only way to get him back would be to hurt him like his words had that night all over again. Even though John Hart had been trained to ignore his heart, that still didn’t mean that he didn’t have one deep down somewhere, however screwed up and twisted it might be.
It was over, his game with Jack finished. He had won. And for the first time in his life, as John Hart truly slipped out of consciousness, he really wished that he hadn’t.
So then, after this journey of a chapter, what do we think? I have to say that your thoughts mean more than ever now that I am attempting to start a real plot here. But of course, you have read this far, and I thank you for that! :)
Just Being Me a.k.a Siany
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Click here for Chapter 17!!!