Fic- Always Part 2

[branwen_blaidd]

Title: Always
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Original Male Character
Rating: Adult- sex, swearing, brief mention of suspected suicide.
Spoilers:  Exit Wounds
Summary: When Ianto finds something dangerous, an old friend comes to help. 
Disclaimers: I own nothing.
Notes: I live for comments! Writing plots is scary! Teensy bit of Welsh in this Rwy’n dy garu di – I love you. Cariad- beloved. Cofio hon – Remember this. Yn wastad – always. Heibiad- goodbye.

 

There was nothing but blackness. Ianto felt as though he had been asleep. He shifted and found he was lying on a hard surface. Jack. He’d been with Jack, hadn’t he? He remembered those strong arms around him. What had they been doing? Fucking? Fighting? He couldn’t remember.

There had been someone else there too. But he couldn’t remember. It was like someone strong was blocking it.

He sat up. “Jack? Jack, are you there? Were we fighting? I’m sorry, Jack.”

Suddenly he was surrounded by a bright, blinding blue light. It was so bright it hurt. It got inside him, invading every cell of his body.

We are The Psiont.

The words stung, taking over all his thoughts and there was nothing else but the words, a chorus of voices inside him.

We are The Psiont. You are ours.

“No, no, no. I’m not. Let me go. You’re killing me.”

We are The Psiont. You will join us. Your voice is strong.

“You’re hurting. Stop it. Stop!”

We are the Psiont. You must speak to us inside your head.

“I can’t. I don’t know how. I’m not skilled.”

We are The Psiont. You are one of us. You must.

“I’m telling you, I can’t.”

We are the Psiont. You held the pendant. It called to you. It held you. You are one of us.

“Please, please let me go. I can’t do anything for you.”

We are The Psiont…

“Stop fucking saying that!” Ianto yelled, tears stinging his eyes. He was lost, in a world of nothing

We are The Psiont. You will stay. We will watch you. You will stay.

The chorus withdrew and Ianto was left alone, terribly alone in utter darkness.

 

* * *

 

            Gwen’s eyes widened when she saw the rather handsome man who followed Jack into the hub. He had a strong jaw line an smooth skin. His eyes were dark brown and his shaggy hair was fine and blond. And he was muscular. Not quite as muscular as Jack but she could not see an inch of fat on his toned body. She smiled at him.

“Hello,” she said in her most friendly voice.

He raised his eyebrows. “Hello.” He had a very Welsh accent, definitely south, but stronger than hers and stronger than Ianto’s.

Gwen tore her eyes away from him and took in Jack’s stormy face.

“Jack, what’s the matter? And where’s Ianto?”

“Ask him,” Jack snarled, storming over to the computer and starting to run scans.

Gwen looked back at the handsome stranger. “What’s going on?”

“Ianto’s been taken but I’ve come to help. I’m Tam, an old friend of Ianto’s and you can trust me.”

Gwen didn’t know what it was but she trusted him. She definitely trusted him.

“How do we get Ianto back?” she asked.

Jack, not even glancing away from the computer, spoke in a rough voice. “I’m going to find him and rescue him.”

“You can’t just storm into their hiding place, shoot them up and drag him out of there.”

Jack wheeled round and glared at Tam. “Why not? It works really well.”

“Well, for a start, they don’t exactly have a hiding place. They’re just…they’re not anywhere exactly.”

Jack squared up to Tam. “Then where the hell is Ianto?”

Tam, to Jack’s fury, didn’t seem remotely intimated by him. “He’s not anywhere, exactly. They don’t exist in the real world. “

“You’d better start making sense,” growled Jack.

“They exist in our world but not in the same way. It’s a world of their own making and they control everything in it.”

“How do you know this?”

Tam sighed. “Because I was part of them. They took me and I was with them. I was in their world. I was in their minds. We were one. But…I saw Ianto. All of a sudden, in the stillness and peace of that world with them, there he was, all his thoughts laid open and they…they wanted him.”

“Why? Why would they want him? What is he to them? He’s just an ordinary human. He’s my ordinary human. Why would they want to take him from me?”

“Jack, we’ll get him back,” said Gwen.

Jack glanced at her and, though he did not smile, the gratitude showed clearly in his eyes.

“He’s strong,” said Tam. “He…he only ever spoke inside his head with me but…he was the only person who could ever block my strength. When he wanted to.”

“He could…he can block me too,” whispered Jack. “He…he said it was because you trained him.”

“I did. But he had to have the strength. He’s always had the strength.”

Jack let out a long sigh. “Yes. Right, how do we get him back?”

“We have to connect with him, find him.”

“The scans,” said Gwen. “They’ll find him, won’t they?”

“No. They won’t. They can’t be found by technology. They have control of it, of everything. The only way to find him is to connect with him, if he’ll let us.”

 

* * *

           

Ianto didn’t know how long he’d lain still in the blackness, in the emptiness, in the silence. Despair had washed over him and he’d wept. He wanted home. He wanted Jack.

But finally, he dried his eyes and uncurled his body from the foetal position. He sat up and looked around.  

He smiled. “I never found a cell I couldn’t get out of,” Tosh had said that one time. His chest ached as he thought of her. She would have got him out of here.

He stood. He could get out, or he could at least try. Tosh would have done it. The least he could do was find the lock, even if he couldn’t undo it.

Holding his arms out in the darkness, he began to walk forwards. His footsteps made no noise on the unseen floor. It disturbed him, walking on a floor that didn’t feel like it was really there.

But he kept walking, kept feeling in front of him for any sign of the wall. The room felt small, enclosed. He would come to a wall soon.

But he didn’t. He kept walking, going on and on into the emptiness. There had to be a wall soon.

He kept walking and his legs began to ache. His eyes hurt from staring hopefully into the blackness. It felt like he’d been walking for hours.

He stopped. This couldn’t be real. There was always a way out. Tosh had always said.

He began to run, no longer even thinking about bumping into anything. He had to find the walls!

Suddenly, he tripped over his own feet and went flying into the ground. He made no noise and the bump didn’t even hurt.

This wasn’t right. Where the hell was he? This was impossible. He picked himself up and sat upright on the non-existent floor. What the hell was going on?

He thought about Jack. Would Jack be able to find him here? Ianto knew Jack would do whatever it took to find him. But how would Jack find him here? He was no where. Maybe he didn’t exist anymore. Maybe this was death. Or maybe he existed, but nobody else did.

“Jack,” he whispered. It made him feel better to say Jack’s name. It made him feel a little safer. He wished he could feel those arms around him. If this was death, he wanted heaven. In heaven, he would have Jack.

“Jack. Jack. Jack. Jack.”

 

* * *

 

 “What are you talking about?” Jack demanded. “He’ll let us connect with him, of course he will!”

“He may not,” said Tam calmly. “They are strong. They may overtake him.”

Jack gritted his teeth. “Will you just tell me who the hell ‘they’ are?”

Tam took a deep breath and for the first time, his distress showed on his face. “They’re called…The Psiont. They don’t like having their name spoken out loud. They’re a strong telepathic species. They don’t die. They exist forever and have created their own world for themselves. When they find someone they want, they take them. They took me.”

“But you’ve escaped,” said Gwen.

“No. I chose to stay with them. I…when they took me into their world, I saw everything.” Tam’s eyes went wide and his voice was hushed. “I saw Ianto. I saw his life. I saw you. I knew he’d be okay. Because he would have you, Jack. You are so much more to him than I ever was and I think you know that, Jack. Don’t you?”

Jack looked down at the floor. “He…he’s…he’s Ianto. My Ianto and…I just want him here with me and I know that’s all he wants too.”

Tam nodded. “Can you trust me?”

Jack looked Tam straight in the eye and took in what he saw. Tam was honest, Jack could see that. Jack could also see the love that Tam held for Ianto. Ianto had spoken often of Tam to Jack and Jack knew how much Tam had done for Ianto and how much Ianto trusted him.

Slowly, Jack nodded. “I can trust you. For Ianto.”

Tam smiled just a little. “Good. Now, I’ll need both of you. Jack, I know you have some skill with telepathy.”

“I’d hardly call it skill. Just an unremarkable aspect of my particular biology.”

Tam nodded. “It’ll be enough. Gwen, I know you don’t have any telepathy but you can help anyway. We’re going to sit together and reach for Ianto. If we can find him and I can be strong enough, we’ll get him out and we’ll bring him home.”

Jack took off his coat and they sat in a circle, facing each other and Gwen felt oddly like she was doing a meditation. She hoped it worked. They couldn’t lose another member of their team. She didn’t think she could survive it and she was certain Jack couldn’t.

Jack watched Tam, wondering how this ‘connection’ was to be established. Tam reached beneath his shirt and withdrew a blue shimmering necklace.

“I thought…why have you still got his necklace?” Jack asked.

“This one is mine,” said Tam, not looking at Jack.

He pressed the pendant into his palm and closed his eyes. “Reach out for Ianto,” he whispered. “Make him feel your thoughts, how important he is to you.”

Gwen closed her eyes. Tam’s voice was soothing, gentle. She almost felt as though she could fall asleep. But there was Ianto in her thoughts. She could remember his voice in her head, his soft, polite, ever so welsh voice. She could picture him so clearly in her mind. His little smirk when he made a joke; his impeccable suits, recently splashed with colour; the little curls at the back of his head; the way he looked at Jack.

She could feel Jack breathing hard beside her and she wondered what was in Jack’s thoughts about Ianto.

Jack had never concentrated so hard in his entire life. He wasn’t used to using his telepathy but he had to do it for Ianto. He reached out, trying to sense Ianto’s presence. Ianto must feel so lost, so alone. Was he scared? Had he lost all hope? Or did he have faith that Jack would rescue him?

But Jack couldn’t rescue him, not by himself. He needed Tam. He needed the man who loved Ianto, loved him so strongly and so fiercely. He was the man who’d given Ianto something Jack wasn’t brave enough to give. Tam could give Ianto a home, a life, some stability. Jack could never give him that.

Jack, Jack, Jack

Jack started as he suddenly felt Ianto’s voice in his head.

Ianto?

Jack, Jack, Jack. Help me, Jack.

Ianto, can you hear me?

Jack, Jack. Help me, Jack. I need you, Jack. Please.

Ianto couldn’t hear him. Jack thought hard, concentrating as hard as he could. Ianto. Listen. It’s me. It’s Jack. I’m here. I’ve got you.

There was a long silence and Jack could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

Jack? You…you’re in my head, Jack.

Jack couldn’t help grin. Yes, I’m in your head.

Jack, I’m in some sort of cell. It’s dark, Jack, and empty. There’s something else here with me, voices. I don’t think it’s real.

Easy, Ianto. We know. We’re going to get you home. Just stay focused on me, okay?

Jack, they keep saying things to me, saying they’re going to keep me, that I’m going to be one of them.

You’re not, Ianto. We’re going to get you out of there. Gwen, Tam and I are going to get you out.

Who?

Jack frowned. Tam. Remember? He came back.

Who’s Tam? I don’t know a Tam.

Jack opened his eyes and looked at Tam, who was watching him carefully.

“He doesn’t know you,” said Jack.

Tam nodded. “I’m blocking myself. They can’t know I’m doing this. Keep talkingHehhhe to him. I’m getting there.”

Jack nodded and closed his eyes again. Ianto, I need you to listen to me, okay? Just listen to me voice. I’m here with you.

Jack, I’m trapped. I can’t breathe.

Yes, you can. Ianto, do you remember last month? When I took you up onto the rooftop?

Yes. It…was peaceful up there. Quiet. There was just us and the stars.

I held you close and I could feel you breathing against me, Ianto.

You…told me about the stars, the places you’d been. Jack, you lay your coat down and we…we made love on it, in the quiet under the stars. And you held me so close, Jack.

And I’m going to hold you close again. When you’re back with us, I’ll hold you close and keep you safe. I promise.

Jack. Jack, they’re coming. Ianto’s voice sounded weaker.

Ianto, stay with me. We’re going to be together soon.

Jack, Jack, please. Help. I need you.

Ianto! Ianto, stay with me!

Jack. Ianto’s voice was almost gone.

Ianto! You listen to me right now!

Nothing. There was nothing.

Ianto! Ianto!

Jack opened his eyes to yell at Tam and…they weren’t in the hub any more. Jack wheeled around. He was in a dark place, completely devoid of light, movement or energy.

“Hello!” he called into the empty space.

Suddenly, the space around him was filled with bright light, so bright it hurt and he could feel a presence beside him. He turned and there was Tam, strong and unflinching in the brightness.

“Call him,” said Tam. “He’ll respond to you.”

Jack swallowed. Ianto. He had to find Ianto. “Ianto!” he called. “Ianto, it’s me. It’s Jack. I need you to listen to me. I need you to come to me. Right now.”

Ianto appeared, suddenly standing still and straight in the distance, facing away from Jack.

“Ianto! Ianto, I need you to look at me.”                                                           

Ianto didn’t move, didn’t even flicker at Jack’s voice. Jack hurried over to him.

“Ianto! Ianto, look at me.”

He grabbed Ianto’s arms and turned him round. Ianto’s eyes looked fuzzy and he seemed to have difficulty focusing.

“Ianto!”

Ianto blinked at him, his hands on Jack’s arms. “Yes. Who are you?”

Jack stared at him, panicking gripping his throat. “Ianto, it’s me. It’s Jack.”

Ianto frowned a little. “I don’t know a Jack.”

“Ianto, I’m your lover. Your boss. Remember? At Torchwood.”

Ianto gazed at him and his face went blank. “We are the Psiont,” he said. “We are strong. We are together.”

Jack couldn’t breathe. He felt sobs pricking at his throat. “Ianto, come on! Don’t say that. You’re Ianto.”

He felt Tam come up to them and his hand was gentle on Ianto’s arm. “Cariad, can you hear my voice?”

Slowly, Ianto turned to look at him. “Cariad? I…we are the…I…” He closed his eyes and looked pained. “They’re in my head. It hurts.”

Tam took Ianto in my arms and looked hard at Ianto. “You are Ianto Jones. Son of Iestyn and Caryn. You work for Torchwood. You’re strong. You’re damaged. You’re brilliant. You’re fucking stubborn.” Here, Tam’s voice broke and he looked away for a moment.

When he looked back at Ianto, his eyes were bright. “You’re Jack’s lover. You’re my Cariad. You’re…you’re so much, Ianto and you are not theirs.”

Ianto blinked slowly and seemed to stir. “Tam,” he whispered and then Tam was kissing him, soft and sweet and life-giving. Jack watched and he could actually see Ianto returning to himself.

When the kiss ended, Ianto pulled away and looked at Jack. “Jack, I…”

Jack touched Ianto’s face. “Ianto, you’re back with us and we’re going to take you home.”

Ianto nodded and smiled.  He looked pale and he held onto Jack’s arms with tight fingers.

Suddenly, he frowned and looked at Tam. “Tam, you’re…”

Tam smiled. “That’s right, Cariad.”

Ianto looked distressed. “Tam, don’t. Please. You can stay with me. It’ll be all right.”

Tam smiled and caressed Ianto’s cheek. “You know it’s gone past that. You have Jack now. He’s right for you.”

“Tam, please don’t leave me.” There were tears in Ianto’s eyes.

“I’m not leaving you, Cariad. But we all have our place in this world. Yours is with Torchwood and with Jack. Mine is with The Psiont.”

“You’d stay here? With them? After what they did?” Jack demanded.

“Here is where I belong. Here I can create my own world, with them. This is my place.”

Ianto held on tight to Tam. “Tam, please.”

Tam pulled his hands away from Ianto and took half a step backwards. “You know this is the right thing to do.”

“But…”

“And you are going to be happy, with Jack. Okay?”

“Tam…”

“And I’m going to be happy here with them.”

Ianto reached for Tam but Tam held back. “No, Ianto,” he said. “You’re going to be happy with Jack. I know it.” He touched his own temple. “I’ve seen it.”

“I’ll miss you, Tam. I’ve missed you all these years.”

Tam smiled. “I know.” He glanced at Jack, for approval, then moved closer as Jack nodded. “I’ll miss you too. But we’ll see each other again.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise.” Cupping Ianto’s face, he leaned forward and kissed Ianto softly on the lips. “Rwy’n dy garu di, Cariad. Cofio hon,” he whispered.

“Yn wastad,” Ianto said solemnly.

Tam smiled and tears shone in his eyes. “Heibiad, Cariad. Goodbye,” he whispered and then he was gone.

Jack pulled Ianto into his arms and held him close as Ianto sobbed.

“Ianto, you’re back!” cried Gwen.

Ianto pulled away from Jack and they looked around. They were back in the hub and safe. Jack was looking him.

Ianto wiped a hand across his face and began to move away. “I need to be alone for a while,” he said and, as quickly as he could, he left the hub.

Gwen looked at Jack. “What happened? One minute you and Tam were here, the next you’d gone.”

“Tam’s gone for good. He went home.”

“Oh.”

“Ianto’s pretty upset.”

“Maybe you should go after him.”

Jack scowled, stormed over to his office and began searching for his bottle of whiskey.

“He said he wanted to be alone,” he said, pouring himself a glass.

Gwen had followed him and stood in the doorway watching him, her eyes soft. “What he says and what he means aren’t always the same thing, Jack.”

Jack looked up at her. “You think he wants me to go after him?”

Gwen laughed. “Well, duh!”

He grinned, slammed down his glass of whiskey and almost skipped over to her. He kissed her on the cheek, then ran past her, grabbed his coat and ran off after Ianto.

He knew where Ianto was going and he didn’t know whether it was through instinct or because of the last remnants of the mind-to-mind connection, but he knew exactly and he went straight there.

As he climbed up the ladder to the roof, his heart hammered inexplicably. He reached the roof and spotted Ianto standing near the edge on the far side. He’d taken his jacket off and stood in his trousers and shirt and he was shivering, his arms lose by his side.

Jack swallowed hard. He’d seen dangerous self-harming behaviour in Ianto before when things were difficult. Was this going to be the last straw, the loss of a man who’d meant so much to him? Was this the end?

“Ianto?” Jack said, slowly moving closer. Ianto glanced at him, then back out onto the lights of the cityscape.

“It was hardly any time at all,” Ianto said. “Was it, Jack? It felt like hours or days. But it was no time at all.”

“It felt like a long time to me,” grumbled Jack.

Ianto let out a long breath and Jack took the opportunity to move closer. “Ianto,” he said when he was in reach. “Don’t move.”

Ianto glanced at him. “You think I’m going to jump?”

“Well…”

Ianto smiled through his tears. “I’m not going to jump.”

He turned and looked at Jack and his eyes burned. “Don’t leave me, Jack.”

“I…I’m not going to leave you. We can stay up here as long as you like.”

“No, Jack. Don’t…don’t leave me. Please. I think…I think I need you. I know I want you. Just…” He paused and bit his lip. “Jack, if you’re going to leave me, just do it now, okay? Then it won’t hurt so much.”

Jack stepped forward and took Ianto in his arms, wrapping his coat around him to try and warm him up. “I’m not going to leave you. Ever. I’m here. I’m forever and you’ve got me.”

Ianto nodded and smiled. “I believe you.”

Jack grinned. “Well, good.” He reached for Ianto’s jacket and draped it around his shoulders. “Come on. Let me take you home. It’s freezing.”

Ianto shook his head and pressed his head against Jack’s chest. “No. Let’s just stay here for a while. Just stay with me and hold me.”

Jack wrapped his arms firmly around Ianto and held him close. “I’m not going to let you slip away from me. Not again. I’m gonna hold you close. Always.”

Comments

[branwen-blaidd.livejournal.com]

wow, really?
Any particular reason?

Thanks!
xx

[footycrazygirl.livejournal.com]

Definitely :)

I dunno really, I love the balance between Angst and fluff, and you've written the characters amazingly. It all fits together really nicely! And an awesome plot.
(Sorry, that's a really crap description :( )

Char xx

[branwen-blaidd.livejournal.com]

Aww, cool!
I'm so glad I was able to write in character with plot!
That's exactly what I wanted!

Thanks hun!
xx