Fic - Electric Sheep #11
Title: Electric Sheep (11/13)
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Ianto (Iefan), Owen, Swanson, Dan, Jack/Ianto
Summary: Jack has been back at Torchwood Three for a few months now. He was fine with that; until he began to uncover a pattern in what had seemed to be random, unconnected murders. The whole affair is testing relationships, stretching them to their limits, even as the mystery begins to resolve itself. But at what price?
Previously...
Electric Sheep #11
Ianto glanced anxiously towards the corner of the street. "But we have the situation under control, Jack." That wasn't strictly true, given the police presence.
"We? What do you mean, we?"
"Me. Owen." He'd set the alert, he was sure of it. How could Jack have missed it? For Jack's eyes only, just incase Tosh or Gwen chose to demonstrate how dedicated to their work they were and showed up for an unscheduled late shift. "I left you a message." Not that he'd had time to hang around and check, of course, but he never made a mistake with the codes. Never.
"Like hell you did!"
This wasn't the time to contradict him, not when Jack's rage was already in danger of incinerating his PDA. "Just let me talk to Iefan."
"You have a lot of explaining to do" Jack growled.
And then there was Kathy. He'd called her on an impulse, as a swift means to smooth over the situation with the local constabulary, and she had done so, no questions asked. Only, he really hadn't expected her to put in a personal appearance. Jack wasn't going to like that, either… But there were more pressing matters to address. "Jack, I need to speak to him now."
For a moment or two Ianto could hear only muttered curses and rustling, then Iefan's voice came through loud and clear. "You had us scared shitless! What's happening?"
Ianto set the PDA down on the pavement, between his legs, and peered at the tiny screen. His palms were sweaty and he might need two hands on the gun. "Tell Jack to stop driving. You're too close. And I need to ask you something first."
"Since when have you been giving the orders?" Jack interjected.
"Just do what he says Jack. It's like riding a fucking bronco here" Owen broke in loudly, wrestling to get a firmer grip on the man struggling beneath him. "And if Ianto gets trigger happy, our dry cleaning bill's going to go through the roof!"
"Iefan." Ianto's carefully controlled voice cut through the babble. His gun felt hot and heavy in his right hand, but probably not nearly so oppressive as it felt to Dan, against whose temple the muzzle was pressed.
"Yes? We've stopped now."
"Good. He's been talking a lot, but I'm not totally convinced. His scarring. It's superficial on the face, slightly more pronounced on the right palm. So I need to ask. What did Dan make you for breakfast that first time at his place?"
"What?!" Iefan and Jack exclaimed together.
"You heard me. It's important."
"I… I don't remember."
"Neither do I. I don't remember there ever being a first time, infact. So it's down to you. Think!"
"I don't… Oh! Porridge!"
"Anything special about it?"
"No, it was disgusting. Lumpy. Too salty."
Ianto and Owen exchanged looks. "What about the coffee?"
"Dan doesn't do coffee. We had tea. Earl Grey. That was unpleasant too."
"What happened then?"
Iefan hesitated. "I, uh, think he said he would do something to take the taste away."
"Nice." Owen grimaced, planting his knee firmly in the small of Dan's back. "Pretty much word for word. Any chance of skipping the gory details?"
"And did he?" Ianto persisted, ignoring Owen's comments.
"No" Iefan replied quietly.
"Because you were a dodger." Dan's words rasped out through gritted teeth.
"As in spit, swallow or dodge" Owen explained helpfully.
"Shut the fuck up Owen. Well Iefan?"
"That's what he used to say, yes."
Dan shifted awkwardly on the pavement, straining to turn his head towards Ianto's PDA. "A bit insulting, that. All that coffee you get through, but did you ever hear me complaining? You always tasted good to me."
Iefan's sharp intake of breath was clearly audible. Owen scowled and grabbed Dan by the scruff of his neck. "Who gave you permission to speak, fly boy?"
"No, let him go on." Ianto trailed the muzzle of the gun down to Dan's ear. It disturbed him, the way he wanted to end all this right now with one little squeeze. His finger twitched on the trigger and he took a deep calming breath. It's not his fault, he reminded himself. He didn't make me. He's a victim too.
Dan's tongue flicked nervously at dry lips. "Okay. Remember the time you forcefed me pineapple chunks? You'd better. Looks like my life depends on it!"
"And you drank Malibu all night in that club. It made you sick as a dog so I still didn't..."
"Yeah, that's when I knew you were a lost cause." Dan rolled his eyes up towards Ianto. "That good enough for you, freak?"
Ianto clenched his jaw and adjusted his grip on the gun. Not his fault, he repeated to himself. Just another victim. So why does it not feel that way? "Is that good enough for you Iefan?"
"So they did a better job on pillaging his memories than Iefan's, so what?" Jack broke in before Iefan could respond. "Ianto, we're heading on in. Directions. Now!" Jack's tone brooked no arguments.
"You're almost here already, Jack." Ianto picked up the PDA and clambered to his feet, gun still trained on Dan as he glanced at the screen again. "Come in on foot. From your position, second right, into Llanbraddach Street." Muffled thuds from two car doors slamming. "But Iefan" he added hastily. "Just stay in the vehicle for now. Please." If Kathy didn't see his twin, he wouldn't have to make her forget about it, would he? "And, er, Jack? There's police cordon." Ianto braced himself for the fallout."
"I can see that!"
"Sounds like you're in trouble." There was more than a hint of derision in Dan's observation.
I've been in worse, Ianto thought grimly.
***
Jack gave a terse nod of acknowledgement as he strode passed Kathy. "Detective Swanson."
"Captain Harkness." When Jack's pace didn't slow, she hurried to follow after him. "It's been a while."
"Not long enough" Jack shot back, rounding the corner.
"And here was me thinking we'd found some common ground." Jack threw her a scowl and kept on walking. "A certain level of co-operation, at any rate."
"This is Torchwood business." Jack was closing in fast on the trio.
"Uh-oh" Owen muttered to Ianto. "It's okay, Dan's not going anywhere. Looks like you've got your hands full with those two."
Kathy came to an abrupt halt, eyes widening in incredulity, looking beyond Jack to where Ianto was standing. "Well, it's police business too when your people are waving guns around and endangering civilians."
Jack ignored her and strode up to Ianto, anger and something else - something darker, unreadable - playing across his face. "Ianto, what's she doing here?"
Ianto winced and lowered the gun. "I called her" he admitted.
Kathy moved in closer, glancing between Jack and Ianto and back again. "Just helping out the mighty Torchwood. Again" she reminded him.
Jack's eyes were still fixed on Ianto as he responded. "Grateful for your help then. Not needed now. You can stand down your boys, detective. We have it covered."
"So formal, Captain. Not to mention ungrateful." She caught Ianto's barely perceptible shake of the head and sighed, raising her radio. "Alright you lot, looks like everything's under control. Just make some reassuring noises to the locals and keep the area clear."
Jack was right up in Ianto's face now, his hands clenching into fists but his voice frighteningly quiet. "Don't you ever pull a stunt like this again."
Ianto blinked but didn't back down. "It's not a stunt, Jack. And we've achieved our objectives…"
"I don't want to hear it, Ianto" Jack cut in. "Now, give me that!" He made a grab for Ianto's right hand and prised the gun from his fingers. Behind them, Dan began to laugh, a low mocking rumble. "And you!" Jack spun around to face their captive. "You can count yourself lucky I didn't find you first." He turned towards the two figures on the ground and thrust Ianto's gun at Owen. "Take it. Use it if necessary." For a moment he stood over them, breathing heavily, jaw muscles working.
"Steady boss!" Owen warned, reading the look on Jack's face. "Don't do something…" Jack was suddenly a blur of motion, a flurry of greatcoat and flailing fists. "…you might regret" he concluded lamely, as a right hook connected.
"Christ!" Kathy exclaimed, reaching out to Ianto as his knees buckled under the impact. For a split-second Ianto looked stunned, but somehow managed to stay on his feet. He waved her away, frowning. "You know, I think that means he likes you" she added, forcing a smile but drawing back from him.
"Yeah, like pulling your pigtails in the playground. Only with more testosterone. Oh shit!" Owen was all too familiar with that look, too.
"You bastard!" A shock-fuelled adrenalin overrode Ianto's control and sent Jack sprawling onto his back.
"And I guess that means you feel the same" Kathy sighed, but lent Ianto her support as his knees sagged again. "Look up dysfunctional in the dictionary and it must say Torchwood."
Shrugging away from Kathy, tentatively fingering his already swelling bottom lip, Ianto spat a crimson-flecked gobbet of phlegm onto the pavement. He took an unsteady step back from Jack who was struggling to his feet. "Some people have selective memories, forget what I'm capable of." He was angry, disappointed. "Some people still underestimate me…"
Was it really only an hour or so ago that he'd been cradled in the man's arms? Felt like a lifetime… He was confused about so many things, though. About who or what he was, and his strange attachment to Iefan. About his future. About his feelings for Jack - maybe Kathy had been right in her observations, but trading punches was one hell of a way to express affection and concern. He needed to get away from here, think things through. But credit where credit was due. Ianto turned to Owen. "And I always expected you'd be one of them. I apologise for that."
"I've been on the receiving end of Action Ianto, remember. Anyway, it was me Jack. I've been tracking this piece of shit all bloody day. I called Ianto. Actually, I called you, but you were too busy."
Jack straightened up, flexing his right hand. "Funny how Ianto told me you'd gone home then, isn't it?"
"Yeah, well, it was too good an opportunity to miss. And it was about time somebody bloody did something! You took your eye off the ball." Too pre-occupied with balls of an entirely different kind, Owen thought, but wisely clamped his mouth shut on this particular pearl of wisdom.
Jack's temper was cooling now. "I was right there, Ianto. All you had to do was…"
"Hold up" Owen interrupted. "I needed back-up in a hurry. Danny boy spotted me." He gave Ianto a crooked smile. "And if you ever catch me taking the rap again, teaboy, shoot me in the bollocks this time. Put me out of misery."
Jack noted the way the old insult no longer sounded like one, delivered with a knowing irony; and the silently mouthed thanks Ianto sent to Owen. It struck him that maybe they'd all got along just fine without him, had become accustomed to making their own decisions and acting on them, for good or ill. Dysfunctional they may be, but they were a team. Trying to do the right thing. Covering each others' backs. He'd never made any allowances for that. Maybe it was about time he did. But airing their dirty laundry in public? Never a good idea. Jack turned on Kathy, unable to meet Ianto's gaze. "You still here, detective? Anything you'd like to add?"
Kathy held up her hands. "I've moved on from dealing with domestics. And something tells me I really don't want to know what's going on here." She looked meaningfully at Ianto. "Any of it. Right, I'll leave you to it, but don't expect us to sit on the sidelines if shots are fired. Feel free to kill each other back at your base, but we wouldn't want anyone getting caught in your crossfire, would we?"
***
Iefan watched as Ianto followed Kathy, passing by mere yards from where he was crouched behind a Fiat Punto. He'd heard it all through the borrowed bluetooth and had been unable to just sit patiently awaiting the okay to join the others. The strange little scene he had just witnessed, though, had been too volatile, too unpredictable, to risk complicating it further by revealing himself, as strong as the urge had been. Besides, Ianto clearly didn't need any help from him. He waited until the couple were safely out of sight before making his way over to Jack and Owen. And Dan. The real Dan, he was sure of it.
"You shouldn't have done that" Iefan said quietly.
"What's done is done" Jack muttered darkly. "Now, what to do about your friend here?"
"You promised."
"I never make promises. But okay, he's all yours for now. Won't be going far. Call me. Any little wrinkle in his story, you call me!"
Owen slowly eased up on Dan as Jack pulled his own weapon from its holster. "I'd stay down if I were you. Jack's not much of a one for taking police advice."
As the two men backed away, weapons still raised, Iefan approached his one-time friend. Ianto was right. The enhanced photo of Dan had made his facial damage look much more extensive than it actually was. Infact, he was little changed. There was a harder edge to the man's expression than he'd ever seen before, granted. A new line or two around his mouth, maybe. But that was to be expected in the circumstances.
"That was quite a show they put on for us, huh?" Dan stumbled unsteadily to his feet, laughing softly. "What's up Ianto? Look like you've seen a ghost…" He ran his fingers through his tousled sandy hair, wincing at the cramps in his arms. "Oh that's right, you never did like ghosts, did you? That's what got you into this shit in the first place."
Iefan started out of his daze. "Do you mean..?"
"Of course that's what I mean! Ghost Shift, my arse! You were right all along. They didn't know what the fuck they were doing. Me, I was more open-minded about that whole thing at first. Never was as smart as you."
This was moving too fast for Iefan, but then again, what else were they supposed to do? Exchange pleasantries about the late June weather? Fall into each other's arms for old times' sakes? But face to face with Dan at last, with the prospect of finally completing the jigsaw puzzle his life had become, Iefan suddenly felt unprepared. He owed it to his brother to hold himself together, he knew that; to the others as well. They'd risked their lives for him, afterall. So if Dan was ready and willing to spill his guts, he had to push beyond this. He had to focus. "But you knew it was all wrong when you first saw the sphere."
"Sure I did. But I'd stumbled on something far bigger by then. As far as we were concerned, anyway. That distracted me. I wanted to tell you, but I reckoned it would make things worse."
"About the doubles?"
"What else? And hey man, what's with all that Iefan crap? It's the imposter, not you!"
"I… I thought it would make things easier."
"Easier for who, exactly? Surely not for you!"
"It's not important." Iefan shook his head wearily. "But it is important for me to know how you found out about their plans."
"You should have taken that job in NLP, not me. Much more to it than met the eye. You were so good with that whole psychic palaver. But that Miyazawa, really bad at shielding his thoughts!" Dan flashed him a grin, but it wasn't the easy, warm kind of smile that Iefan remembered. It didn't reach his eyes. "But he paid for it, for what he'd done."
"Miyazawa? He was behind it all?"
"Oh, we were his pet project. With the full blessing of the lovely Ms Hartman of course. Funny how she completely lost interest when the ghosties started beefing up their act. Nothing much I could do about her in the end, was there? But I made Miyazawa pay for what he'd done to us. Aw, come on Ianto. You're so cosy with Captain Jack there, you must have known that."
Miyazawa may not have been practiced at shielding, but Iefan was adept when he chose to be. Pity he hadn't used this skill more often, back in Torchwood One. Too busy bucking the system, not wanting to be anything they had wanted him to be. "So it was you. You took care of Lee, too?"
"Had to be done. He was the nuts and bolts man. Not that they have any nuts and bolts, our replacements. Guess Harkness's lot figured that out when they cut up that thing masquerading as me. Right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You stumbled into that one. Wasn't planned. It was passing itself off as a civil servant." Dan's expression was one of revulsion. "I'd been stalking it all day, and it knew something was up. You were probably the last one it was expecting, though. Shocked as hell when you popped up. If those things even know what shocked is."
But they're just like us, Iefan wanted to scream. They feel and live and fuck just like anyone else! "But you knew I was in Bristol?" he asked, as evenly as he could.
"Well, of course I did. I always knew exactly where you were, but the time was never right to let you in on it." His eyes softened and for a moment he was the man Iefan had known before. "You were a mess, my friend. All that time in hospital. And losing Lisa. That nurse was pretty, though."
"You were watching me?"
"You make that sound dirty! But yeah. Felt responsible. Had to make sure you were okay. Couldn't exactly bring you grapes or anything, though, could I? Too risky. We were supposed to be dead, both of us, remember? Even with Torchwood One down, no knowing who might have made a connection."
Why would Dan feel responsible? For not telling him what he knew, all those months ago? "This is all…"
"Too much? I understand that. I've had a long time to get used to all this. Way longer than you." He took a tentative step towards Iefan. "But I'm not the enemy here. I'm the only friend you've got."
Dan really believed that, Iefan realised. Feeling a little light headed, Iefan closed his eyes and tried to refocus his thoughts, keep his barriers intact. "Oh god."
Suddenly Dan was folding him in his arms. "Hey, hey, I wouldn't have let that thing take you down, y'know" he reassured him, resting his head against Iefan's shoulder in that old familiar way. "I was right there, finger on the trigger." But it wasn't a comfort. It took every ounce of will Iefan possessed to return the embrace. "Bit pissed off when you finished it off for me, as it happens. I'd been looking forward to that. But can't really begrudge you a taste of vengeance now, can I?"
***
"Sir?" The earpiece crackled and Jack found himself gripping the steering wheel. "Jack?"
"Hey, Ianto." Jack was aiming for light, but it occurred to him that it came off as too casual. Disinterested. And that was so very far from being the case. "How you doing?"
"Wondering if it's safe to come home yet."
Home? Did he really mean home? Or the Hub? "Depends on what you mean, Ianto." Or back to me?
Ianto cleared his throat. "Work. Back to work. Or have I burnt my bridges?"
"Oh Ianto" Jack sighed, slumping back in the driver's seat. "We've been through worse than this, don't you think? Infact, nothing I'd like better than to see your sorry ass right now, but…"
"My ass is indeed sorry, Jack." Ianto paused, hoping Jack would appreciate the joke, if not now then sometime soon. "So is the rest of me" he added quietly.
"Me too Ianto. Me too." Jack smiled ruefully and checked his reflection in the rearview mirror. A puffy swelling on his left cheekbone, the tender flesh above it discolouring rather unattractively. It had been one hell of a twenty-four hours, a rollercoaster ride from blind fear of loss, to ecstacy, and back again. "Owen's put me straight on a few things. And I know, I know, I shouldn't have needed him to." He hesitated. Honesty didn't come easy; he was still relatively new to the concept, in the great scheme of things. "I guess I panicked."
"That's not like you, Jack."
"No, it won't happen again. And Ianto…"
"Yes?"
"What I made you do earlier. That won't happen again either. And I don't mean the bare knuckle fight…"
The silence was so protracted, not even the sound of Ianto's breathing whispering in Jack's ear, that he began to curse this new-found candour. He'd revealed more than enough for one night already.
"You didn't make me do anything" Ianto said at last. "It was…"
"Great!"
"I was going to say perverse."
"How about unusual?"
"Weird."
"Mind-blowing!" Jack was laughing now.
"Not bad. Anyway, whatever it was, I was willing, wasn't I?"
"Looked like it, felt like it, but I'd hate to think..."
"Shut up Jack. Not an issue. So, is it okay? To come back?"
"No-one's home Ianto." Somehow, just saying his name made Jack feel a little easier. They'd be okay; they always were, in the end. "And I'm still numbing my butt in the SUV while that brother of yours takes a trip down memory lane. It's turning out to be a mighty long lane!"
"I see. Care for some company?"
"I'd rather you locked yourself away deep underground." And out of harm's way. "But I guess you've had it with me and my protective streak, huh?"
"I'm quite safe Jack. I still have Dan's gun."
Well, of course he did. He should have known that. Certainly shouldn't have let him storm off, though, without being sure. Way to go Jack! Disarm the very person you've been desperate to protect for the last two days. "So where are you now?"
"Oh, about… five yards away."
Jack tried and failed to suppress the grin of pleasure and relief as he caught Ianto's reflection in the wing mirror. He motioned him over to the passenger side and stretched across to open the door. Ianto slid into the seat alongside him, bringing with him the scent of freshly washed clothes, and sat staring straight ahead. Jack had failed to notice earlier that he was wearing Iefan's jeans and tee-shirt. So he'd found time to attend to the laundry, as well as so much else, yesterday. No surprise there, really. Ianto in Iefan's clothes, Iefan in Jack's. All that was needed to close another circle was for Jack to be wearing one of Ianto's impeccable suits. The idea was an entertaining one, but it suddenly made Jack aware of his post-coital unwashed state.
"No need to worry. I took the scenic route back, just incase."
"And, uh, Kathy?"
"Back at her desk, I should think. Something else you don't need to worry about." Ianto wiped his palms down the thighs of Iefan's jeans and stole a furtive glance at Jack. "That must hurt."
"So must that" Jack said softly, half-reaching out to touch Ianto' swollen lip before thinking better of it.
Ianto shrugged and leaned back against the headrest. "I'll live."
Jack slipped his hand over Ianto's and squeezed gently, taking care not to crush his bruised knuckles. "Yes, yes you will."
They sat together in an almost comfortable silence for a minute, maybe two. "Holding hands usually isn't your style, either" Ianto observed eventually, beginning to relax. "Maybe you should kiss me instead... Carefully, though."
It was awkward, clumsy, but only because Jack was doing his best to avoid the swelling. Their noses bumped. Jack adjusted. They bumped again, causing both men to laugh. "Maybe tomorrow. Might be less painful by then. And after you've had a shower" Ianto said pointedly, wrinkling up his nose.
Jack plucked at his teeshirt and sniffed. "Hmm, you have a point." He reluctantly settled for wrapping his arm around Ianto's shoulders. "But I'll hold you to that."
"Doesn't it bother you? Me being…" Ianto struggled to find the words.
"You being you? Does it look like it bothers me?"
"But… You changed the security codes." Ianto had given this some thought, and it was the only explanation he could come up with.
"I did, didn't I?" Jack frowned, the mystery of the message that never was suddenly becoming clear. He pulled Ianto in closer. "That first night, I didn't know what the hell was going on. Thought it was for the best." His breath tickled Ianto's ear as he whispered. "Mea maxima culpa."
"No need to tell me that."
"No, really. Upper case maxima, when you type it. Stressed, on vocal command."
"What if I've been programmed, Jack?" Ianto closed his eyes as Jack nibbled at his lobe. "Have an in-built mission? A hidden agenda?"
"You couldn't be any more trouble than you already are."
Ianto struggled to pull out of his embrace, but Jack refused to let him go. "No, I'm serious!" He'd been giving this plenty of thought, too.
"Then I'll chain you up somewhere the others'd never find you."
"You could try. But if I were you, I'd just shoot me."
"Where's the fun in that? Maybe I'd keep you as my sex slave" Jack teased.
"Dream on, Jack."
"Oh yeah!" he leered. "Already had those dreams! Have to say, though, I've done far worse than that."
"I don't doubt it."
"Maybe I'll tell you, sometime…"
"That won't be necessary."
"You don't fool me, Ianto Jones! Nothing you like more than…" Jack suddenly straightened up, frowning, holding a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. He fumbled at his earpiece, switching sides, holding it up to his left ear and motioning Ianto to listen in with him.
***
Iefan fingered the earpiece in his pocket. He'd better be hitting the right button; but even if he was, would Jack be able to make out anything? "What about Reynolds?"
"Ah, Reynolds. It was the reason I had to take off up to Scotland without checking in with you first. Never occured to me that you'd be Cardiff bound. Thought Torchwood was the last place you'd go. I feel bad about that, man. Shouldn't have let you walk in on that, unprepared. Your double, it's the last on my list. Then we can breathe easy again."
Iefan swallowed down the wave of nausea that threatened. "Is he really the last one?"
"It's an abomination, not a he! Don't be fooled by it!" Dan was vehement, eyes flashing angrily.
"You're right, I know, but it's still so hard to take in."
"Must be. Sorry." Dan clapped him on the arm, face brightening again. "Yeah, the last one as far as I know. But hey, look at it this way. They didn't want to lose you. Exceptional promise, Yvonne said. But then again, she must have said that about both of us at one point, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to the bother, would they? Bit of a compliment really, when you think about it. Oh come on, what's with the dazed and confused look, sweetheart?"
"But to go so far! What about the others? Mikey and…"
"…that creep from Deep Archives?"
"Charles."
"Whatever." Dan shrugged dismissively.
Charles had been a weird guy, but he'd died along with Mikey in the Discovery inferno. He at least deserved to be remembered. "I could never understand it, Dan. The explosion. Bit clumsy for Torchwood, even if they did have their attention focused on ghosts by then."
"Clumsy maybe, but it was the best I could come up with at the time. Didn't know if we'd get another chance."
"The best you could come up with?" Iefan felt a cold pressure in the pit of his stomach. Please, no! Not that. Dan couldn't have done that!
"You still don't get it, do you?" Dan laughed. "Torchwood had nothing to do with the big bang, Ianto. Do or die, man, do or die."
On to #12
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Ianto (Iefan), Owen, Swanson, Dan, Jack/Ianto
Summary: Jack has been back at Torchwood Three for a few months now. He was fine with that; until he began to uncover a pattern in what had seemed to be random, unconnected murders. The whole affair is testing relationships, stretching them to their limits, even as the mystery begins to resolve itself. But at what price?
Previously...
Electric Sheep #11
Ianto glanced anxiously towards the corner of the street. "But we have the situation under control, Jack." That wasn't strictly true, given the police presence.
"We? What do you mean, we?"
"Me. Owen." He'd set the alert, he was sure of it. How could Jack have missed it? For Jack's eyes only, just incase Tosh or Gwen chose to demonstrate how dedicated to their work they were and showed up for an unscheduled late shift. "I left you a message." Not that he'd had time to hang around and check, of course, but he never made a mistake with the codes. Never.
"Like hell you did!"
This wasn't the time to contradict him, not when Jack's rage was already in danger of incinerating his PDA. "Just let me talk to Iefan."
"You have a lot of explaining to do" Jack growled.
And then there was Kathy. He'd called her on an impulse, as a swift means to smooth over the situation with the local constabulary, and she had done so, no questions asked. Only, he really hadn't expected her to put in a personal appearance. Jack wasn't going to like that, either… But there were more pressing matters to address. "Jack, I need to speak to him now."
For a moment or two Ianto could hear only muttered curses and rustling, then Iefan's voice came through loud and clear. "You had us scared shitless! What's happening?"
Ianto set the PDA down on the pavement, between his legs, and peered at the tiny screen. His palms were sweaty and he might need two hands on the gun. "Tell Jack to stop driving. You're too close. And I need to ask you something first."
"Since when have you been giving the orders?" Jack interjected.
"Just do what he says Jack. It's like riding a fucking bronco here" Owen broke in loudly, wrestling to get a firmer grip on the man struggling beneath him. "And if Ianto gets trigger happy, our dry cleaning bill's going to go through the roof!"
"Iefan." Ianto's carefully controlled voice cut through the babble. His gun felt hot and heavy in his right hand, but probably not nearly so oppressive as it felt to Dan, against whose temple the muzzle was pressed.
"Yes? We've stopped now."
"Good. He's been talking a lot, but I'm not totally convinced. His scarring. It's superficial on the face, slightly more pronounced on the right palm. So I need to ask. What did Dan make you for breakfast that first time at his place?"
"What?!" Iefan and Jack exclaimed together.
"You heard me. It's important."
"I… I don't remember."
"Neither do I. I don't remember there ever being a first time, infact. So it's down to you. Think!"
"I don't… Oh! Porridge!"
"Anything special about it?"
"No, it was disgusting. Lumpy. Too salty."
Ianto and Owen exchanged looks. "What about the coffee?"
"Dan doesn't do coffee. We had tea. Earl Grey. That was unpleasant too."
"What happened then?"
Iefan hesitated. "I, uh, think he said he would do something to take the taste away."
"Nice." Owen grimaced, planting his knee firmly in the small of Dan's back. "Pretty much word for word. Any chance of skipping the gory details?"
"And did he?" Ianto persisted, ignoring Owen's comments.
"No" Iefan replied quietly.
"Because you were a dodger." Dan's words rasped out through gritted teeth.
"As in spit, swallow or dodge" Owen explained helpfully.
"Shut the fuck up Owen. Well Iefan?"
"That's what he used to say, yes."
Dan shifted awkwardly on the pavement, straining to turn his head towards Ianto's PDA. "A bit insulting, that. All that coffee you get through, but did you ever hear me complaining? You always tasted good to me."
Iefan's sharp intake of breath was clearly audible. Owen scowled and grabbed Dan by the scruff of his neck. "Who gave you permission to speak, fly boy?"
"No, let him go on." Ianto trailed the muzzle of the gun down to Dan's ear. It disturbed him, the way he wanted to end all this right now with one little squeeze. His finger twitched on the trigger and he took a deep calming breath. It's not his fault, he reminded himself. He didn't make me. He's a victim too.
Dan's tongue flicked nervously at dry lips. "Okay. Remember the time you forcefed me pineapple chunks? You'd better. Looks like my life depends on it!"
"And you drank Malibu all night in that club. It made you sick as a dog so I still didn't..."
"Yeah, that's when I knew you were a lost cause." Dan rolled his eyes up towards Ianto. "That good enough for you, freak?"
Ianto clenched his jaw and adjusted his grip on the gun. Not his fault, he repeated to himself. Just another victim. So why does it not feel that way? "Is that good enough for you Iefan?"
"So they did a better job on pillaging his memories than Iefan's, so what?" Jack broke in before Iefan could respond. "Ianto, we're heading on in. Directions. Now!" Jack's tone brooked no arguments.
"You're almost here already, Jack." Ianto picked up the PDA and clambered to his feet, gun still trained on Dan as he glanced at the screen again. "Come in on foot. From your position, second right, into Llanbraddach Street." Muffled thuds from two car doors slamming. "But Iefan" he added hastily. "Just stay in the vehicle for now. Please." If Kathy didn't see his twin, he wouldn't have to make her forget about it, would he? "And, er, Jack? There's police cordon." Ianto braced himself for the fallout."
"I can see that!"
"Sounds like you're in trouble." There was more than a hint of derision in Dan's observation.
I've been in worse, Ianto thought grimly.
***
Jack gave a terse nod of acknowledgement as he strode passed Kathy. "Detective Swanson."
"Captain Harkness." When Jack's pace didn't slow, she hurried to follow after him. "It's been a while."
"Not long enough" Jack shot back, rounding the corner.
"And here was me thinking we'd found some common ground." Jack threw her a scowl and kept on walking. "A certain level of co-operation, at any rate."
"This is Torchwood business." Jack was closing in fast on the trio.
"Uh-oh" Owen muttered to Ianto. "It's okay, Dan's not going anywhere. Looks like you've got your hands full with those two."
Kathy came to an abrupt halt, eyes widening in incredulity, looking beyond Jack to where Ianto was standing. "Well, it's police business too when your people are waving guns around and endangering civilians."
Jack ignored her and strode up to Ianto, anger and something else - something darker, unreadable - playing across his face. "Ianto, what's she doing here?"
Ianto winced and lowered the gun. "I called her" he admitted.
Kathy moved in closer, glancing between Jack and Ianto and back again. "Just helping out the mighty Torchwood. Again" she reminded him.
Jack's eyes were still fixed on Ianto as he responded. "Grateful for your help then. Not needed now. You can stand down your boys, detective. We have it covered."
"So formal, Captain. Not to mention ungrateful." She caught Ianto's barely perceptible shake of the head and sighed, raising her radio. "Alright you lot, looks like everything's under control. Just make some reassuring noises to the locals and keep the area clear."
Jack was right up in Ianto's face now, his hands clenching into fists but his voice frighteningly quiet. "Don't you ever pull a stunt like this again."
Ianto blinked but didn't back down. "It's not a stunt, Jack. And we've achieved our objectives…"
"I don't want to hear it, Ianto" Jack cut in. "Now, give me that!" He made a grab for Ianto's right hand and prised the gun from his fingers. Behind them, Dan began to laugh, a low mocking rumble. "And you!" Jack spun around to face their captive. "You can count yourself lucky I didn't find you first." He turned towards the two figures on the ground and thrust Ianto's gun at Owen. "Take it. Use it if necessary." For a moment he stood over them, breathing heavily, jaw muscles working.
"Steady boss!" Owen warned, reading the look on Jack's face. "Don't do something…" Jack was suddenly a blur of motion, a flurry of greatcoat and flailing fists. "…you might regret" he concluded lamely, as a right hook connected.
"Christ!" Kathy exclaimed, reaching out to Ianto as his knees buckled under the impact. For a split-second Ianto looked stunned, but somehow managed to stay on his feet. He waved her away, frowning. "You know, I think that means he likes you" she added, forcing a smile but drawing back from him.
"Yeah, like pulling your pigtails in the playground. Only with more testosterone. Oh shit!" Owen was all too familiar with that look, too.
"You bastard!" A shock-fuelled adrenalin overrode Ianto's control and sent Jack sprawling onto his back.
"And I guess that means you feel the same" Kathy sighed, but lent Ianto her support as his knees sagged again. "Look up dysfunctional in the dictionary and it must say Torchwood."
Shrugging away from Kathy, tentatively fingering his already swelling bottom lip, Ianto spat a crimson-flecked gobbet of phlegm onto the pavement. He took an unsteady step back from Jack who was struggling to his feet. "Some people have selective memories, forget what I'm capable of." He was angry, disappointed. "Some people still underestimate me…"
Was it really only an hour or so ago that he'd been cradled in the man's arms? Felt like a lifetime… He was confused about so many things, though. About who or what he was, and his strange attachment to Iefan. About his future. About his feelings for Jack - maybe Kathy had been right in her observations, but trading punches was one hell of a way to express affection and concern. He needed to get away from here, think things through. But credit where credit was due. Ianto turned to Owen. "And I always expected you'd be one of them. I apologise for that."
"I've been on the receiving end of Action Ianto, remember. Anyway, it was me Jack. I've been tracking this piece of shit all bloody day. I called Ianto. Actually, I called you, but you were too busy."
Jack straightened up, flexing his right hand. "Funny how Ianto told me you'd gone home then, isn't it?"
"Yeah, well, it was too good an opportunity to miss. And it was about time somebody bloody did something! You took your eye off the ball." Too pre-occupied with balls of an entirely different kind, Owen thought, but wisely clamped his mouth shut on this particular pearl of wisdom.
Jack's temper was cooling now. "I was right there, Ianto. All you had to do was…"
"Hold up" Owen interrupted. "I needed back-up in a hurry. Danny boy spotted me." He gave Ianto a crooked smile. "And if you ever catch me taking the rap again, teaboy, shoot me in the bollocks this time. Put me out of misery."
Jack noted the way the old insult no longer sounded like one, delivered with a knowing irony; and the silently mouthed thanks Ianto sent to Owen. It struck him that maybe they'd all got along just fine without him, had become accustomed to making their own decisions and acting on them, for good or ill. Dysfunctional they may be, but they were a team. Trying to do the right thing. Covering each others' backs. He'd never made any allowances for that. Maybe it was about time he did. But airing their dirty laundry in public? Never a good idea. Jack turned on Kathy, unable to meet Ianto's gaze. "You still here, detective? Anything you'd like to add?"
Kathy held up her hands. "I've moved on from dealing with domestics. And something tells me I really don't want to know what's going on here." She looked meaningfully at Ianto. "Any of it. Right, I'll leave you to it, but don't expect us to sit on the sidelines if shots are fired. Feel free to kill each other back at your base, but we wouldn't want anyone getting caught in your crossfire, would we?"
***
Iefan watched as Ianto followed Kathy, passing by mere yards from where he was crouched behind a Fiat Punto. He'd heard it all through the borrowed bluetooth and had been unable to just sit patiently awaiting the okay to join the others. The strange little scene he had just witnessed, though, had been too volatile, too unpredictable, to risk complicating it further by revealing himself, as strong as the urge had been. Besides, Ianto clearly didn't need any help from him. He waited until the couple were safely out of sight before making his way over to Jack and Owen. And Dan. The real Dan, he was sure of it.
"You shouldn't have done that" Iefan said quietly.
"What's done is done" Jack muttered darkly. "Now, what to do about your friend here?"
"You promised."
"I never make promises. But okay, he's all yours for now. Won't be going far. Call me. Any little wrinkle in his story, you call me!"
Owen slowly eased up on Dan as Jack pulled his own weapon from its holster. "I'd stay down if I were you. Jack's not much of a one for taking police advice."
As the two men backed away, weapons still raised, Iefan approached his one-time friend. Ianto was right. The enhanced photo of Dan had made his facial damage look much more extensive than it actually was. Infact, he was little changed. There was a harder edge to the man's expression than he'd ever seen before, granted. A new line or two around his mouth, maybe. But that was to be expected in the circumstances.
"That was quite a show they put on for us, huh?" Dan stumbled unsteadily to his feet, laughing softly. "What's up Ianto? Look like you've seen a ghost…" He ran his fingers through his tousled sandy hair, wincing at the cramps in his arms. "Oh that's right, you never did like ghosts, did you? That's what got you into this shit in the first place."
Iefan started out of his daze. "Do you mean..?"
"Of course that's what I mean! Ghost Shift, my arse! You were right all along. They didn't know what the fuck they were doing. Me, I was more open-minded about that whole thing at first. Never was as smart as you."
This was moving too fast for Iefan, but then again, what else were they supposed to do? Exchange pleasantries about the late June weather? Fall into each other's arms for old times' sakes? But face to face with Dan at last, with the prospect of finally completing the jigsaw puzzle his life had become, Iefan suddenly felt unprepared. He owed it to his brother to hold himself together, he knew that; to the others as well. They'd risked their lives for him, afterall. So if Dan was ready and willing to spill his guts, he had to push beyond this. He had to focus. "But you knew it was all wrong when you first saw the sphere."
"Sure I did. But I'd stumbled on something far bigger by then. As far as we were concerned, anyway. That distracted me. I wanted to tell you, but I reckoned it would make things worse."
"About the doubles?"
"What else? And hey man, what's with all that Iefan crap? It's the imposter, not you!"
"I… I thought it would make things easier."
"Easier for who, exactly? Surely not for you!"
"It's not important." Iefan shook his head wearily. "But it is important for me to know how you found out about their plans."
"You should have taken that job in NLP, not me. Much more to it than met the eye. You were so good with that whole psychic palaver. But that Miyazawa, really bad at shielding his thoughts!" Dan flashed him a grin, but it wasn't the easy, warm kind of smile that Iefan remembered. It didn't reach his eyes. "But he paid for it, for what he'd done."
"Miyazawa? He was behind it all?"
"Oh, we were his pet project. With the full blessing of the lovely Ms Hartman of course. Funny how she completely lost interest when the ghosties started beefing up their act. Nothing much I could do about her in the end, was there? But I made Miyazawa pay for what he'd done to us. Aw, come on Ianto. You're so cosy with Captain Jack there, you must have known that."
Miyazawa may not have been practiced at shielding, but Iefan was adept when he chose to be. Pity he hadn't used this skill more often, back in Torchwood One. Too busy bucking the system, not wanting to be anything they had wanted him to be. "So it was you. You took care of Lee, too?"
"Had to be done. He was the nuts and bolts man. Not that they have any nuts and bolts, our replacements. Guess Harkness's lot figured that out when they cut up that thing masquerading as me. Right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You stumbled into that one. Wasn't planned. It was passing itself off as a civil servant." Dan's expression was one of revulsion. "I'd been stalking it all day, and it knew something was up. You were probably the last one it was expecting, though. Shocked as hell when you popped up. If those things even know what shocked is."
But they're just like us, Iefan wanted to scream. They feel and live and fuck just like anyone else! "But you knew I was in Bristol?" he asked, as evenly as he could.
"Well, of course I did. I always knew exactly where you were, but the time was never right to let you in on it." His eyes softened and for a moment he was the man Iefan had known before. "You were a mess, my friend. All that time in hospital. And losing Lisa. That nurse was pretty, though."
"You were watching me?"
"You make that sound dirty! But yeah. Felt responsible. Had to make sure you were okay. Couldn't exactly bring you grapes or anything, though, could I? Too risky. We were supposed to be dead, both of us, remember? Even with Torchwood One down, no knowing who might have made a connection."
Why would Dan feel responsible? For not telling him what he knew, all those months ago? "This is all…"
"Too much? I understand that. I've had a long time to get used to all this. Way longer than you." He took a tentative step towards Iefan. "But I'm not the enemy here. I'm the only friend you've got."
Dan really believed that, Iefan realised. Feeling a little light headed, Iefan closed his eyes and tried to refocus his thoughts, keep his barriers intact. "Oh god."
Suddenly Dan was folding him in his arms. "Hey, hey, I wouldn't have let that thing take you down, y'know" he reassured him, resting his head against Iefan's shoulder in that old familiar way. "I was right there, finger on the trigger." But it wasn't a comfort. It took every ounce of will Iefan possessed to return the embrace. "Bit pissed off when you finished it off for me, as it happens. I'd been looking forward to that. But can't really begrudge you a taste of vengeance now, can I?"
***
"Sir?" The earpiece crackled and Jack found himself gripping the steering wheel. "Jack?"
"Hey, Ianto." Jack was aiming for light, but it occurred to him that it came off as too casual. Disinterested. And that was so very far from being the case. "How you doing?"
"Wondering if it's safe to come home yet."
Home? Did he really mean home? Or the Hub? "Depends on what you mean, Ianto." Or back to me?
Ianto cleared his throat. "Work. Back to work. Or have I burnt my bridges?"
"Oh Ianto" Jack sighed, slumping back in the driver's seat. "We've been through worse than this, don't you think? Infact, nothing I'd like better than to see your sorry ass right now, but…"
"My ass is indeed sorry, Jack." Ianto paused, hoping Jack would appreciate the joke, if not now then sometime soon. "So is the rest of me" he added quietly.
"Me too Ianto. Me too." Jack smiled ruefully and checked his reflection in the rearview mirror. A puffy swelling on his left cheekbone, the tender flesh above it discolouring rather unattractively. It had been one hell of a twenty-four hours, a rollercoaster ride from blind fear of loss, to ecstacy, and back again. "Owen's put me straight on a few things. And I know, I know, I shouldn't have needed him to." He hesitated. Honesty didn't come easy; he was still relatively new to the concept, in the great scheme of things. "I guess I panicked."
"That's not like you, Jack."
"No, it won't happen again. And Ianto…"
"Yes?"
"What I made you do earlier. That won't happen again either. And I don't mean the bare knuckle fight…"
The silence was so protracted, not even the sound of Ianto's breathing whispering in Jack's ear, that he began to curse this new-found candour. He'd revealed more than enough for one night already.
"You didn't make me do anything" Ianto said at last. "It was…"
"Great!"
"I was going to say perverse."
"How about unusual?"
"Weird."
"Mind-blowing!" Jack was laughing now.
"Not bad. Anyway, whatever it was, I was willing, wasn't I?"
"Looked like it, felt like it, but I'd hate to think..."
"Shut up Jack. Not an issue. So, is it okay? To come back?"
"No-one's home Ianto." Somehow, just saying his name made Jack feel a little easier. They'd be okay; they always were, in the end. "And I'm still numbing my butt in the SUV while that brother of yours takes a trip down memory lane. It's turning out to be a mighty long lane!"
"I see. Care for some company?"
"I'd rather you locked yourself away deep underground." And out of harm's way. "But I guess you've had it with me and my protective streak, huh?"
"I'm quite safe Jack. I still have Dan's gun."
Well, of course he did. He should have known that. Certainly shouldn't have let him storm off, though, without being sure. Way to go Jack! Disarm the very person you've been desperate to protect for the last two days. "So where are you now?"
"Oh, about… five yards away."
Jack tried and failed to suppress the grin of pleasure and relief as he caught Ianto's reflection in the wing mirror. He motioned him over to the passenger side and stretched across to open the door. Ianto slid into the seat alongside him, bringing with him the scent of freshly washed clothes, and sat staring straight ahead. Jack had failed to notice earlier that he was wearing Iefan's jeans and tee-shirt. So he'd found time to attend to the laundry, as well as so much else, yesterday. No surprise there, really. Ianto in Iefan's clothes, Iefan in Jack's. All that was needed to close another circle was for Jack to be wearing one of Ianto's impeccable suits. The idea was an entertaining one, but it suddenly made Jack aware of his post-coital unwashed state.
"No need to worry. I took the scenic route back, just incase."
"And, uh, Kathy?"
"Back at her desk, I should think. Something else you don't need to worry about." Ianto wiped his palms down the thighs of Iefan's jeans and stole a furtive glance at Jack. "That must hurt."
"So must that" Jack said softly, half-reaching out to touch Ianto' swollen lip before thinking better of it.
Ianto shrugged and leaned back against the headrest. "I'll live."
Jack slipped his hand over Ianto's and squeezed gently, taking care not to crush his bruised knuckles. "Yes, yes you will."
They sat together in an almost comfortable silence for a minute, maybe two. "Holding hands usually isn't your style, either" Ianto observed eventually, beginning to relax. "Maybe you should kiss me instead... Carefully, though."
It was awkward, clumsy, but only because Jack was doing his best to avoid the swelling. Their noses bumped. Jack adjusted. They bumped again, causing both men to laugh. "Maybe tomorrow. Might be less painful by then. And after you've had a shower" Ianto said pointedly, wrinkling up his nose.
Jack plucked at his teeshirt and sniffed. "Hmm, you have a point." He reluctantly settled for wrapping his arm around Ianto's shoulders. "But I'll hold you to that."
"Doesn't it bother you? Me being…" Ianto struggled to find the words.
"You being you? Does it look like it bothers me?"
"But… You changed the security codes." Ianto had given this some thought, and it was the only explanation he could come up with.
"I did, didn't I?" Jack frowned, the mystery of the message that never was suddenly becoming clear. He pulled Ianto in closer. "That first night, I didn't know what the hell was going on. Thought it was for the best." His breath tickled Ianto's ear as he whispered. "Mea maxima culpa."
"No need to tell me that."
"No, really. Upper case maxima, when you type it. Stressed, on vocal command."
"What if I've been programmed, Jack?" Ianto closed his eyes as Jack nibbled at his lobe. "Have an in-built mission? A hidden agenda?"
"You couldn't be any more trouble than you already are."
Ianto struggled to pull out of his embrace, but Jack refused to let him go. "No, I'm serious!" He'd been giving this plenty of thought, too.
"Then I'll chain you up somewhere the others'd never find you."
"You could try. But if I were you, I'd just shoot me."
"Where's the fun in that? Maybe I'd keep you as my sex slave" Jack teased.
"Dream on, Jack."
"Oh yeah!" he leered. "Already had those dreams! Have to say, though, I've done far worse than that."
"I don't doubt it."
"Maybe I'll tell you, sometime…"
"That won't be necessary."
"You don't fool me, Ianto Jones! Nothing you like more than…" Jack suddenly straightened up, frowning, holding a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. He fumbled at his earpiece, switching sides, holding it up to his left ear and motioning Ianto to listen in with him.
***
Iefan fingered the earpiece in his pocket. He'd better be hitting the right button; but even if he was, would Jack be able to make out anything? "What about Reynolds?"
"Ah, Reynolds. It was the reason I had to take off up to Scotland without checking in with you first. Never occured to me that you'd be Cardiff bound. Thought Torchwood was the last place you'd go. I feel bad about that, man. Shouldn't have let you walk in on that, unprepared. Your double, it's the last on my list. Then we can breathe easy again."
Iefan swallowed down the wave of nausea that threatened. "Is he really the last one?"
"It's an abomination, not a he! Don't be fooled by it!" Dan was vehement, eyes flashing angrily.
"You're right, I know, but it's still so hard to take in."
"Must be. Sorry." Dan clapped him on the arm, face brightening again. "Yeah, the last one as far as I know. But hey, look at it this way. They didn't want to lose you. Exceptional promise, Yvonne said. But then again, she must have said that about both of us at one point, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to the bother, would they? Bit of a compliment really, when you think about it. Oh come on, what's with the dazed and confused look, sweetheart?"
"But to go so far! What about the others? Mikey and…"
"…that creep from Deep Archives?"
"Charles."
"Whatever." Dan shrugged dismissively.
Charles had been a weird guy, but he'd died along with Mikey in the Discovery inferno. He at least deserved to be remembered. "I could never understand it, Dan. The explosion. Bit clumsy for Torchwood, even if they did have their attention focused on ghosts by then."
"Clumsy maybe, but it was the best I could come up with at the time. Didn't know if we'd get another chance."
"The best you could come up with?" Iefan felt a cold pressure in the pit of his stomach. Please, no! Not that. Dan couldn't have done that!
"You still don't get it, do you?" Dan laughed. "Torchwood had nothing to do with the big bang, Ianto. Do or die, man, do or die."
On to #12