Fic: Hidden - Chapter 24/31
Title: Hidden
Rating: R/MA - contains violence, language and sexual references.
Length: ~48,000 words
Characters/pairings: Ianto, Jack, Gwen, OCs, mention of Rhys, Tosh and Owen. Jack/Ianto.
Disclaimer: The OCs are mine, anyone and anything you recognise from Torchwood belongs to the BBC.
Notes: Anything up to 'Exit Wounds' for Torchwood, with reference to the events of 'The Stolen Earth' and 'Journey's End' for Doctor Who. AU. Oh so very AU. Even more so once series three starts.
Thanks to: the lovely cazmalfoy and et_muse for beta-reading and general poking.
Summary: 'This is Torchwood Three...Torchwood Four's kinda gone missing, but we'll find it one day.' Torchwood One wasn't the first job Ianto had - wasn't the first Torchwood branch he worked for. Now his past is coming back to put everyone he loves in danger.
Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four - Chapter Five - Chapter Six - Chapter Seven - Chapter Eight - Chapter Nine - Chapter Ten - Chapter Eleven - Chapter Twelve - Chapter Thirteen - Chapter Fourteen - Chapter Fifteen - Chapter Sixteen - Chapter Seventeen - Chapter Eighteen - Chapter Nineteen - Chapter Twenty - Chapter Twenty-One - Chapter Twenty-Two - Chapter Twenty-Three
“What the hell are you playing at?” Ianto hissed, glaring down at his sister. She was sitting on a bench, hands folded in her lap and eyes fixed on a pair of seagulls fighting over a half-empty bag of chips. “Coming out here - anything could have happened!”
“Anwen, it’s dangerous to be out here alone,” Jack said, sitting down next to her and touching her shoulder briefly. “You know that.” Anwen looked away from the seagulls, turning her head to Jack instead, and he winced at the fatigue evident on her face.
“It got too loud,” she said, voice thin with tiredness. “In there.”
“Too loud?” Jack questioned gently. Ianto made a smothered sound of frustration and spun around, arms folded, to glare out at the water. Jack ignored him. “What do you mean, Anwen?”
“Everyone was thinking,” Anwen sighed. “So loudly.” Jack slid an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him gratefully. “I can usually block people out, but everything’s been so intense the past few days that I just…sort of lost it.”
“Okay,” murmured Jack. “I get it. You had to have some space.”
“It’s not like there’s no-one out here,” said Ianto tersely, not turning back to them. “I’d have thought it would be worse.”
“I don’t know these people,” said Anwen, an edge to her voice now. “It’s just white noise. In there…” She shivered. “Some of the things they were thinking…”
Now Ianto did turn to look at her, squinting against the bright sun. He was, for a long moment, very tempted to ask what she had heard in their minds. There had been a time when he would have given his back teeth to have a rummage around in Dave’s mind, and more for the chance to see what Gwen really thought of him. He could probably find out for himself now - he had a feeling that there was very little he couldn’t do, if he set his mind to it.
But he could remember taking Toshiko’s statement, over eighteen months ago now, after the debacle with Mary and the necklace that had given her the ability to read minds. She had barely been able to look at him, had stammered something about being sorry, and it had been clear she’d caught some of the pain-filled thoughts that had so consumed his mind in the aftermath of Lisa.
“I’m sorry, Anwen,” he offered at last. “I’m not angry with you, I just…”
“You’re scared,” she said, not looking at him. “I know. You don’t want anything to happen to me.”
“I only just found you again,” said Ianto, and he sat down on her other side, taking her hand and squeezing gently.
“I’m not going to let anything happen,” Jack said firmly. “To either of you.” He lifted his hand off Anwen’s shoulder and cupped Ianto’s cheek. “Your mother would kill me.”
Anwen gave a surprised laugh. “Oh, she likes you though,” she said. “Thinks you’re good for Ianto.”
Ianto looked pained. “I’m not entirely sure I want to know what my mother thinks, thank you,” he retorted. “She tells me often enough as it is.” This time Jack laughed, and Anwen giggled. Ianto sniffed. “Well, she does. Always has done.”
“D’you remember, she used to get so cross with Da,” Anwen reminisced. “None of us ever knew what he was thinking, she always got so frustrated.”
“Sounds like someone I know,” said Jack, catching Ianto’s eye. Ianto didn’t bother to look apologetic, he just lifted one eyebrow as if to say he didn’t know what Jack was talking about. Jack turned his attention back to Anwen. “Do you need some more time out here, or do you think you’re up to going back into the Hub?”
Anwen gave him a look that was far too jaded to belong on someone so young. “You mean it’s not safe out here and we need to get undercover,” she said. “Alright. I might go and nest in the dorms with a book, though. There’s only so much a telepath can take, you know.”
“With Gwen and our mother, I’m amazed you’ve lasted as long as you have,” muttered Ianto, standing up. “C’mon, I’ll dig out some of Jack’s books for you. Got a whole library down there, he does.”
“Not a library,” Jack objected, rising and pulling Anwen to her feet. “Just because you don’t have enough room for them at your place.”
“It’s only a terraced house, there’s hardly any storage space, and I have my own books,” said Ianto, with the weariness of someone who was repeating himself for the hundredth time. “It’s not like you live there.”
“Maybe we should find somewhere else,” said Jack unexpectedly. “Someplace bigger. Together.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Ianto after a moment. “You’d never leave the Hub. You’ve lived there for years.”
“It’s not so ridiculous,” shrugged Jack, but he didn’t press the point. “Let’s get back inside. Your mother’s probably going crazy worrying about you.”
“Oh, she went mad years ago,” said Anwen airily. “Something about three kids driving her round the - Ianto, look out!”
Her scream of warning came just in time; Ianto ducked and spun away as Jack pushed Anwen down to the ground. A bullet missed Ianto by barely inches, and he reached for his own weapon before realising he’d come out without it. Cursing himself for his stupidity, he lifted a hand and stopped two more bullets before they could hit him.
“Get to cover,” Jack ordered Anwen. “Go! Now!” She scrambled up and took off at a run as Jack pulled his gun from his holster. “Ianto - do you know them?”
“From Four - got to be - but I don’t know them,” said Ianto, concentrating on making sure Anwen was protected from bullets. “I see three.”
“Two by the van, one by the bins?” Jack checked. “One more by the hot dog vendor.”
Ianto lifted a hand to his earpiece, eyes fixed on the black-clad opponents who didn’t come any closer.
“Gwen, we’ve got company,” he said into the radio.
“We see them, Ianto. Dave’s coming up the lift, I’m on my way to meet Anwen.”
“They literally came out of nowhere,” came Gillian’s voice, sounding panicked. “I had the CCTV up the whole time -“
“We’ll work out how they did it later,” snapped Ianto. “Gwen, get Anwen. Keep her safe.”
“They’re not moving,” said Jack, keeping his gun aimed at the man who had been shooting. “Dammit - there’s the cops.” The distant screech of sirens was getting closer as all around them people began to panic and flee the area. “They’re gonna get themselves killed. Ianto, tell me you’ve got something we can use.”
“And here I was thinking you didn’t want me to experiment,” said Ianto. Someone fired, the bang of the gun was followed by a scream of pain, and he swung around to see Anwen, still too far away from cover and collapsing to the ground clutching her belly.
Ianto hadn’t understood what people meant when they described themselves as ‘seeing red’ before. Even when he and Jack had flung insults and accusations at each other over loaded guns on that awful night so long ago when Lisa had been discovered, he had been more desperate than angry. Anger was not an emotion he liked or enjoyed, and so he tended to lock it up unless it was useful.
Useful or not, he was angry now. Ianto flung himself away from Jack and the meagre protection offered by the Webley, and he stretched out a hand towards the two agents at the white van. They slammed back into the vehicle, and Ianto spun towards the agent by the bin, lifting him high into the air and then dropping him. The agent hit the ground with a crunch and a scream, but Ianto didn’t pause. He turned to the last agent, the one by the hot dog stall, and with a sweep of his hand sent the man careening into the stall. One of the men at the van was scrambling to his feet, but Ianto snarled and stretched out a hand. A moment later, the man’s head turned and his neck snapped.
“Ianto -“
“Get - her - safe,” snarled Ianto, cutting Jack off. He made a grabbing motion, and the other man at the van was lifted up and dragged towards him, legs trailing on the ground. When he was close enough, Ianto raised his other hand and gripped him by the throat. “Who sent you?” he demanded. “Who?”
“We just…want you,” the man managed, struggling for breath under Ianto’s tight grasp. “She wasn’t…meant to be…”
“Fine,” said Ianto, lip curling. “Fine. You want me?” He let the man go, mentally as well as physically. “You’ve got me.”
“Ianto!” Jack snapped. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Take care of my sister,” said Ianto, not looking at him. “This is the only way.”
“Ianto -“ Jack tried again, but Ianto swept a hand out and knocked him backwards, sending him sprawling to the ground. The breath knocked out of him, he could only watch as Ianto and the agent from Torchwood Four climbed into the white van and departed, leaving the fallen men behind.
* * *
Chapter Twenty-Five
Comments are love.
Rating: R/MA - contains violence, language and sexual references.
Length: ~48,000 words
Characters/pairings: Ianto, Jack, Gwen, OCs, mention of Rhys, Tosh and Owen. Jack/Ianto.
Disclaimer: The OCs are mine, anyone and anything you recognise from Torchwood belongs to the BBC.
Notes: Anything up to 'Exit Wounds' for Torchwood, with reference to the events of 'The Stolen Earth' and 'Journey's End' for Doctor Who. AU. Oh so very AU. Even more so once series three starts.
Thanks to: the lovely cazmalfoy and et_muse for beta-reading and general poking.
Summary: 'This is Torchwood Three...Torchwood Four's kinda gone missing, but we'll find it one day.' Torchwood One wasn't the first job Ianto had - wasn't the first Torchwood branch he worked for. Now his past is coming back to put everyone he loves in danger.
Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four - Chapter Five - Chapter Six - Chapter Seven - Chapter Eight - Chapter Nine - Chapter Ten - Chapter Eleven - Chapter Twelve - Chapter Thirteen - Chapter Fourteen - Chapter Fifteen - Chapter Sixteen - Chapter Seventeen - Chapter Eighteen - Chapter Nineteen - Chapter Twenty - Chapter Twenty-One - Chapter Twenty-Two - Chapter Twenty-Three
“What the hell are you playing at?” Ianto hissed, glaring down at his sister. She was sitting on a bench, hands folded in her lap and eyes fixed on a pair of seagulls fighting over a half-empty bag of chips. “Coming out here - anything could have happened!”
“Anwen, it’s dangerous to be out here alone,” Jack said, sitting down next to her and touching her shoulder briefly. “You know that.” Anwen looked away from the seagulls, turning her head to Jack instead, and he winced at the fatigue evident on her face.
“It got too loud,” she said, voice thin with tiredness. “In there.”
“Too loud?” Jack questioned gently. Ianto made a smothered sound of frustration and spun around, arms folded, to glare out at the water. Jack ignored him. “What do you mean, Anwen?”
“Everyone was thinking,” Anwen sighed. “So loudly.” Jack slid an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him gratefully. “I can usually block people out, but everything’s been so intense the past few days that I just…sort of lost it.”
“Okay,” murmured Jack. “I get it. You had to have some space.”
“It’s not like there’s no-one out here,” said Ianto tersely, not turning back to them. “I’d have thought it would be worse.”
“I don’t know these people,” said Anwen, an edge to her voice now. “It’s just white noise. In there…” She shivered. “Some of the things they were thinking…”
Now Ianto did turn to look at her, squinting against the bright sun. He was, for a long moment, very tempted to ask what she had heard in their minds. There had been a time when he would have given his back teeth to have a rummage around in Dave’s mind, and more for the chance to see what Gwen really thought of him. He could probably find out for himself now - he had a feeling that there was very little he couldn’t do, if he set his mind to it.
But he could remember taking Toshiko’s statement, over eighteen months ago now, after the debacle with Mary and the necklace that had given her the ability to read minds. She had barely been able to look at him, had stammered something about being sorry, and it had been clear she’d caught some of the pain-filled thoughts that had so consumed his mind in the aftermath of Lisa.
“I’m sorry, Anwen,” he offered at last. “I’m not angry with you, I just…”
“You’re scared,” she said, not looking at him. “I know. You don’t want anything to happen to me.”
“I only just found you again,” said Ianto, and he sat down on her other side, taking her hand and squeezing gently.
“I’m not going to let anything happen,” Jack said firmly. “To either of you.” He lifted his hand off Anwen’s shoulder and cupped Ianto’s cheek. “Your mother would kill me.”
Anwen gave a surprised laugh. “Oh, she likes you though,” she said. “Thinks you’re good for Ianto.”
Ianto looked pained. “I’m not entirely sure I want to know what my mother thinks, thank you,” he retorted. “She tells me often enough as it is.” This time Jack laughed, and Anwen giggled. Ianto sniffed. “Well, she does. Always has done.”
“D’you remember, she used to get so cross with Da,” Anwen reminisced. “None of us ever knew what he was thinking, she always got so frustrated.”
“Sounds like someone I know,” said Jack, catching Ianto’s eye. Ianto didn’t bother to look apologetic, he just lifted one eyebrow as if to say he didn’t know what Jack was talking about. Jack turned his attention back to Anwen. “Do you need some more time out here, or do you think you’re up to going back into the Hub?”
Anwen gave him a look that was far too jaded to belong on someone so young. “You mean it’s not safe out here and we need to get undercover,” she said. “Alright. I might go and nest in the dorms with a book, though. There’s only so much a telepath can take, you know.”
“With Gwen and our mother, I’m amazed you’ve lasted as long as you have,” muttered Ianto, standing up. “C’mon, I’ll dig out some of Jack’s books for you. Got a whole library down there, he does.”
“Not a library,” Jack objected, rising and pulling Anwen to her feet. “Just because you don’t have enough room for them at your place.”
“It’s only a terraced house, there’s hardly any storage space, and I have my own books,” said Ianto, with the weariness of someone who was repeating himself for the hundredth time. “It’s not like you live there.”
“Maybe we should find somewhere else,” said Jack unexpectedly. “Someplace bigger. Together.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Ianto after a moment. “You’d never leave the Hub. You’ve lived there for years.”
“It’s not so ridiculous,” shrugged Jack, but he didn’t press the point. “Let’s get back inside. Your mother’s probably going crazy worrying about you.”
“Oh, she went mad years ago,” said Anwen airily. “Something about three kids driving her round the - Ianto, look out!”
Her scream of warning came just in time; Ianto ducked and spun away as Jack pushed Anwen down to the ground. A bullet missed Ianto by barely inches, and he reached for his own weapon before realising he’d come out without it. Cursing himself for his stupidity, he lifted a hand and stopped two more bullets before they could hit him.
“Get to cover,” Jack ordered Anwen. “Go! Now!” She scrambled up and took off at a run as Jack pulled his gun from his holster. “Ianto - do you know them?”
“From Four - got to be - but I don’t know them,” said Ianto, concentrating on making sure Anwen was protected from bullets. “I see three.”
“Two by the van, one by the bins?” Jack checked. “One more by the hot dog vendor.”
Ianto lifted a hand to his earpiece, eyes fixed on the black-clad opponents who didn’t come any closer.
“Gwen, we’ve got company,” he said into the radio.
“We see them, Ianto. Dave’s coming up the lift, I’m on my way to meet Anwen.”
“They literally came out of nowhere,” came Gillian’s voice, sounding panicked. “I had the CCTV up the whole time -“
“We’ll work out how they did it later,” snapped Ianto. “Gwen, get Anwen. Keep her safe.”
“They’re not moving,” said Jack, keeping his gun aimed at the man who had been shooting. “Dammit - there’s the cops.” The distant screech of sirens was getting closer as all around them people began to panic and flee the area. “They’re gonna get themselves killed. Ianto, tell me you’ve got something we can use.”
“And here I was thinking you didn’t want me to experiment,” said Ianto. Someone fired, the bang of the gun was followed by a scream of pain, and he swung around to see Anwen, still too far away from cover and collapsing to the ground clutching her belly.
Ianto hadn’t understood what people meant when they described themselves as ‘seeing red’ before. Even when he and Jack had flung insults and accusations at each other over loaded guns on that awful night so long ago when Lisa had been discovered, he had been more desperate than angry. Anger was not an emotion he liked or enjoyed, and so he tended to lock it up unless it was useful.
Useful or not, he was angry now. Ianto flung himself away from Jack and the meagre protection offered by the Webley, and he stretched out a hand towards the two agents at the white van. They slammed back into the vehicle, and Ianto spun towards the agent by the bin, lifting him high into the air and then dropping him. The agent hit the ground with a crunch and a scream, but Ianto didn’t pause. He turned to the last agent, the one by the hot dog stall, and with a sweep of his hand sent the man careening into the stall. One of the men at the van was scrambling to his feet, but Ianto snarled and stretched out a hand. A moment later, the man’s head turned and his neck snapped.
“Ianto -“
“Get - her - safe,” snarled Ianto, cutting Jack off. He made a grabbing motion, and the other man at the van was lifted up and dragged towards him, legs trailing on the ground. When he was close enough, Ianto raised his other hand and gripped him by the throat. “Who sent you?” he demanded. “Who?”
“We just…want you,” the man managed, struggling for breath under Ianto’s tight grasp. “She wasn’t…meant to be…”
“Fine,” said Ianto, lip curling. “Fine. You want me?” He let the man go, mentally as well as physically. “You’ve got me.”
“Ianto!” Jack snapped. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Take care of my sister,” said Ianto, not looking at him. “This is the only way.”
“Ianto -“ Jack tried again, but Ianto swept a hand out and knocked him backwards, sending him sprawling to the ground. The breath knocked out of him, he could only watch as Ianto and the agent from Torchwood Four climbed into the white van and departed, leaving the fallen men behind.
* * *
Chapter Twenty-Five
Comments are love.