Fic- Forever Part Sixteen

[branwen_blaidd]

Title: Forever

By Branwen Blaidd & Oncoming Scone

Part Sixteen of Thirty One

Pairing: Jack/Ianto

Rating: Adult - Dark Themes, Violence, Graphic sex, AU

Spoilers: Torchwood & Doctor Who all seasons to date.

Summary: Set after Exit Wounds and Journey’s End, no-one is coping with recent tragic events. In an attempt to bring the team back to unity and strength, Ianto makes a decision that will change the fate of Torchwood, and the world, Forever.

Disclaimers: Despite 5 months of creating this together, we own nothing and never will! The various songs, verses, etc do not belong to us either. 

Notes: This is AU, though it begins in line with canon up to Exit Wounds. We hope to post one chapter each day at roughly the same time. Comments please!

           

 

Ianto didn’t know how long he’d been sleeping for. He woke in Jack’s arms, feeling calm inside. He picked up Jack’s wrist and looked at the time. It was early morning. Gwen wasn’t there. He wondered where she’d gone. He remembered her being there before. He remembered him and Jack rocking against one another, coming together, sharing soft kisses in the darkness.

He’d hit his head. That was what Jack had told him. Unconscious for two weeks? That didn’t feel right. Surely, it couldn’t be right. But that was what Jack had said and Jack wouldn’t lie. Jack evaded. Jack avoided. Jack refused to talk. But he didn’t ever lie.

Ianto gazed into Jack’s face. Jack was sleeping. Ianto smiled at the sight, that peaceful expression on his face. It wasn’t often that Jack was so peaceful. Ianto frowned. But it wasn’t right. Last he remembered Jack had been cold and distant; broken by grief. How could Ianto bumping his head change all of that?

Ianto closed his eyes and concentrated on the feel of Jack’s arms around him. So familiar. He found himself thinking, for some reason, about tears. Hot tears falling on his face.

Ianto kept his eyes closed and thought about that. There was something important. Tears falling on his face and Jack’s arms around him. And desperate words whispered in the dark. What were those words? It felt important that Ianto should remember them but they wouldn’t come. Oh, why wouldn’t they come? Why couldn’t he remember what had happened?

He looked up at Jack, hoping to remember something more as he looked into his face. Jack’s eyes were open.

“Hey,” Jack whispered.

Ianto snuggled as close as he could to Jack. “Hey. It’s morning.”

Jack looked at his watch. “Yeah.”

Ianto reached up and stroked Jack’s cheek. His eyes were red, like he’d been crying.his watch. "ing. uld to Jack tears falling t he didn' lips, making everything all right. but e arrived where he w

“I was remembering something,” Ianto murmured.

Jack shifted. “It’s probably better if you don’t. There’s nothing to remember anyway. Just some bad dreams.”

Ianto looked up into Jack’s face. Jack tensed. Please don’t remember, he thought.

Ianto smiled and caressed Jack’s cheek. “I remember…I remember you holding me and whispering to me. Was that when I fell?”

“Must be, yes.”

“I remember what you said, what you whispered to me. Did you mean it?”

“I wouldn’t say anything to you I didn’t mean.”

Ianto frowned for a long time. “You’ve never said it before. I didn’t think you…felt it…ever.”

“I meant it,” Jack whispered, sure he knew what Ianto was talking about.

Ianto looked up into Jack’s face, his eyes wide and open. “I love you too, Jack,” he said and let his eyes close.

Jack held him close, kissed him softly and beamed.

                                                                         * * *

            A couple of hours later, morning had definitely arrived. Jack got up and began to get ready for the day. Ianto was still asleep. Jack wasn’t sure where Gwen was.

He showered, then returned to the bedroom to get dressed. Ianto was awake, snuggled up on his front with the right side of his head resting on the pillow.

“Hello,” he said.

Jack smiled at him. “Hey. Do you need anything? I’m going to go and check everything’s okay upstairs.”

 Ianto got a resolute look on his face. “I’m getting up today, Jack.”

“Ianto, you need rest.”

“Well, according to you, I’ve had two bloody weeks of rest! I want to get up. I’m not going to take no for an answer.”

Jack smiled. “All right, all right. But the moment you start to feel tired or weak, it’s back to bed.”

Ianto grinned. “Deal.” Eager, he jumped out of bed and started to look for some clothes to wear. “Hey, where’s my suit? The blue one.”

Jack shrugged, his ears going pink. “Dunno. Maybe it’s dirty.”

Ianto frowned but ended up choosing his black suit with the purple-backed waistcoat and a purple shirt. He looked gorgeous and he felt at home. He thought about that. He felt strange still, like he’d been in the wrong body and had only now got back to normal.

He pushed the feeling aside and followed Jack up to the main hub for breakfast. Gwen was there. She looked tired and a little startled to see Ianto up and about. She hugged him tight.

“How do you feel?” she asked, rubbing his arm.

He straightened his tie. “A bit odd. But all right. I wouldn’t have thought a head injury would make me feel this…” he strained for the right word but came up lacking. “Strange,” he finished, uselessly.

Gwen glanced behind him at Jack. “Try not to worry,” she said. She put on a smile. “I bought breakfast! Croissants for me and Jack and pan o chocolat for you, Ianto.”

“Thank you, Gwen.” He smiled. “You two had better be careful. You don’t want me to get used to this kind of treatment, do you?”

There were weak smiles and Ianto was aware of how closely they were watching him. The hub was a mess and Ianto itched to get started with the tidying up. He supposed he really had been unconscious for two weeks. Either that or he’d gone mad and decided to neglect his duties.

Straight after breakfast, he decided to get cracking on making the hub halfway habitable again. He wanted things to go back to normal. He went off to clean and Gwen and Jack both went off to do their own work too.

He started off with the medical bay. It wasn’t too bad, only the floor hadn’t been moped in ages. Ianto did a quick tidy up, then got out the mop.

Just as he’d filled the mop bucket with hot soapy water, the mop itself went crashing to the floor. Ianto tutted and bent down to pick it up.

Something caught his eye. He frowned. There was a spot of blood on the floor. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence with all the bloody activities which went on here. But, for some strange reason, Ianto couldn’t stop staring at it.

He sat down on the floor and sat staring at the little spot of blood on the floor. His head pounded. There was something in there, something fighting to get out.

He squeezed his eyes shut. Blood. There was something about blood. Maybe he was just remembering falling and hitting his head. He must have bled.

He swallowed and tasted blood. He could smell something strong, something sweet. His head swam. It thudded, as if trying to break down the walls of amnesia inside his head. Or maybe it was just his head injury.

He held his head in his hands as the memories beat at him. He remembered blond hair streaked with blood. He remembered anger. He remembered darkness. He remembered pain. He remembered glee.

He remembered words. ‘If I could find a way to be with him forever, I would. I’d do anything.’ He remembered writing them, in his diary. But they meant something else. He’d…done something. He knew. And it wasn’t just storming out on Jack. But what was it?

He opened his eyes and looked at the spot of blood on the floor. He could remember large, wise eyes gazing at him in a red room. ‘You want it so much. Are you prepared to accept the consequences?’ Her voice. Soft and careful. His own; staunch and unwavering. ‘Yes. For Jack. I’ll do anything for Jack.’

He’d done something. He’s done something terrible. He’d changed everything. He’d pursued that ‘forever’. What had he done?

* * *

Duty. If all else failed, Ianto remembered his duty. His head swam and his ears thudded. He knew something was missing.

He walked around the hub. Once so familiar, it now felt foreign and cold. Hiding secrets from him. The blood. The feeling clawing at the back of his mind. They were lying to him. They had to be.

He swung into Jack’s office and found them talking. Quietly. Whispering. Conspiring. They both turned abruptly; the conversation juddering to a halt.

“What are you hiding from me?” asked Ianto. He was calm. Steady. But seething with anger.

“What do you mean?” asked Gwen. PC Cooper.

He gave her his best glare and she fell silent, looking to Jack.

Jack stood. “Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

Nice, thought Ianto. Nice deflection. Obviously I’m imagining this whole thing.

“I’m fine, Jack,” he said evenly. “Getting better all the time.”

Jack seemed to go pale. Something had clearly gone wrong in his plan. Ianto felt his hands begin to shake.

Something flashed in his head. The cell. Jack. Pale, trembling. Frightened of Ianto.

Ianto blinked and shook his head, disorientated. “What’s going on, Jack?” He could hear his own voice shaking. “What am I remembering?”

Comments

[drunkendeadcat.livejournal.com]

I'm liking it

[stargazer60.livejournal.com]

Brilliant update.

I'm a little worried, though, about how Ianto is going to react when he remembers everything..

[morgia.livejournal.com]

hooooo ok !!!1 Now Im hooked !!! You got me !!! Its official, but please don't lose me again !!!!!

[thrace-adams.livejournal.com]

Oh crap...crap on toast...I knew he was going to remember...GAH this is all going to go South...how oh how can there be a happy ever after????

[iseabail.livejournal.com]

There were two seconds when my heart wanted to explode with joy, when Ianto told Jack he loved him too, and everything seemed just fine.

But of course, since there are still some chapters left, Ianto will remember.

Still, I like it very much, hope I'll get my happy ending!!

[naddypants.livejournal.com]

AHHH *flails*
It was all going swimmingly until he started to remember.

Nonetheless, it's still superb and I'm looking forward to more dears!

[wykling.livejournal.com]

Oh my's he's remembering!
Gaah, I'm hooked!!! xD

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

great chapter and that question there at the end, heartbreaking

[tiggerbrasilf.livejournal.com]

and again you stop just as its getting somewhere... *hugs*

[branwen-blaidd.livejournal.com]

It's all to get you going : ) *evil laugh*

Blame Scone. She did the chapter divides and she's evily good at them!

[tiggerbrasilf.livejournal.com]

Oh I know, she is evil with these chapter divides, but I suppose it keeps us reading! *fuzzles Ianto*

[amcpep.livejournal.com]

I knew Ianto had heard Jack tell him he loved him. But oh, I dread to think how Ianto will take remembering what he did. I feel much angst coming. But I love it.