Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb
Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted
Artwork by the wonderful badly_knitted
( Original artwork here )
Warnings: mentions of character death end s2 and day 4 CoE
Pairings/Characters: Jack/Ianto, team
Spoilers – possible all s1-3 TW, plus radio 4 play The Dead Line: set between TW s2 & s3, directly after Radio 4 play The Dead Line
Summary: Following Ianto’s speech to Jack in The Dead Line, Jack tries to show Ianto he’ll never be just a blip in time
Word count: 23100
Written for TW Big Bang Round 2
A/N Not done anything quite like this before and I have to say I loved every minute! I have to say a huge thank you to my wonderful beta badly_knitted who shared the highs and sent me cookies and hugs when I was doubting my sanity [that’s a lorry-load of cookies and even more hugs!] Thank you *hugs close* Also special thanks to the amazingly talented penny_sieve who took my words and gave them life with her awesome artwork – thank you so much *raises a glass to you*
A/N 2 Read here on LJ or download the pdf [please leave a brief comment if you download - thanks] www.sendspace.com/file/iuumvd Hope you enjoy...xxx
All The Time We Have
Prologue
Ianto traced the outline of Jack’s face, his fingers running tenderly over his cheeks, following the contours of his lips...lips that he’d kissed so many times...lips that he ached to have kiss him now... His fingers trailed over his chin and down the side of his neck. Jack would be shivering by now, leaning into the touch...reaching for him...
He sighed, averting his gaze from his Captain’s eyes, wide, staring eyes that scared the living daylights out of him...come back to me Jack... He reached for his hand, entwined their fingers and brought their joined hands up to his mouth, brushing his lips softly over Jack’s knuckles as the machines beeped and whirred, keeping his hope alive...Jack...
“Here, I’ve bought you a coffee.” Stella handed him a paper cup that contained a murky brown liquid only vaguely resembling anything like the coffee he made for Jack.
He smiled his thanks. He liked Stella. She was down to earth and had a radiance and zest for life that still shone out of her eyes. He guessed she was in her mid-sixties now, but he could see why Jack had been attracted to her. He blushed as he caught her gaze. “Sorry, didn’t mean to stare...I was just...” his voice trailed away, not quite sure how to word ‘checking you out as competition’.
Stella laughed, a deep, throaty sound...Jack would definitely have liked that! Ianto bit down on his lip and mentally slapped himself. Thinking like this wouldn’t get Jack back...there must be something... something they’d missed....
Stella must have been reading his mind. She pulled up a chair and sat next to him. “I’ve seen Jack’s brain scan.” She frowned, “there’s no physical cause for his condition – no swelling, no haemorrhage...” She paused, thinking, “...what’s going on here is some kind of electro-chemical reaction...something that came down that phone line...”
“An electrical signal?”
Stella shrugged, “Some form of sentient electrical lifeform – who knows? I saw way too much back in the seventies to discount anything!”
“With Jack, you mean...” he pushed the rumblings of jealousy aside
“I never meant to get involved with Torchwood...it just happened...and somehow it changes how you see the world...” she said wistfully.
Ianto looked at her. “And how do you see this?” he asked, hopefully.
Stella explained the workings of the brain. It sounded an amazing thing, full of explosions and reactions – he’d never thought of it like that before...his brain was just, well, just there!
They discussed the wonders of the brain, batting ideas back and forth – he was causing a few new explosions in his head, he thought! Gradually, they came to the conclusion that whatever had caused Jack’s, and the other patients’, condition needed them alive. What for still had them stumped! Stella got up, patting Ianto’s arm, she left him alone as she went to check on the other patients. She glanced back from the doorway to see the Welshman press his lips gently against Jack’s. She hoped the Captain felt the same way about the lovely young man sat by his bedside who quite obviously adored him...
Ianto slumped back in the chair. He felt useless, redundant...although his conversation with Stella had given them some faint stirrings of an idea, but there was nothing he could do... He squeezed Jack’s hand. Come back to me Jack...
His mind rolled back over the innumerable lectures and training sessions at Torchwood, London. He’d been assigned ‘companion’ to the comatose ex-employees for a short spell, before Yvonne Hartman had decided that looking after someone who was obviously of no further use was a waste of resources and had cancelled all such humane programmes. He shivered. She was...had been, he corrected himself, a woman with a heart of granite...if she’d even had a heart!
But he was digressing! Talk to them, he’d been told. Well, he wasn’t much of a talker so he’d read to them...read the classics like Moby Dick and A Christmas Carol and some had come out of their comas although no-one ever remembered hearing his stories... He looked down at Jack, shuddering slightly as his glance skirted over his eyes, frozen open and staring...
He should talk to him...”...but what do I say?” he asked aloud. “I have no idea whether you can hear me Jack, I never heard of anybody coming out of one and carrying on a conversation so I suspect it’s something the doctors tell us to do – to make us feel better rather than to help you...
I’m not much of a talker, Jack, you know that, but I’ll talk to you now on the off-chance that it helps... Just promise me – if you’re hearing this – that when you come round and you’re going to Jack, just promise me that you’ll never bring up anything that I say to you now…how’s that? ...we got a deal?”
He paused and kissed Jack’s lifeless hand, still clasped firmly by his own. He took a deep breath in...this wasn’t quite weeping and wailing over the lifeless body of the man that he loved, but it was pretty close as far as he was concerned...
“This must be the longest I’ve ever looked at you and not seen you smile. I’ve watched you in your sleep, did you know that? So many times - just woken up beside you in the middle of the night and watched you...watched your eyes moving behind your eyelids as you dreamed, and tried to imagine what a man like you could possibly dream about – the things you’ve seen, lives you’ve lived...people you’ve loved.
I wondered if you were dreaming about me – I hoped you were dreaming about me...but let’s be honest Jack, I’m nothing more than a blip in time for you. Every day I grow a little older, but you’re immortal – you’ve already lived a thousand lifetimes. How could you watch me grow old and die – how can I watch you live and never age a day?”
His eyes filled with tears. “I suppose we both know that’ll never be a problem – not in this job – no-one in Torchwood ever lives to draw their pension, do they! Even if by some miracle I survive to see my hair turn grey – or, God forbid – fall out, I don’t kid myself that you’d still be around to see it.
One day, you’ll go again – just like you did before – and this time, ”his voice cracked and he stifled a sob, “...this time you won’t be back. Maybe that’s what you’re dreaming about those nights when I watch you sleeping, maybe that’s why, even when you sleep, I see you smile...”
He bit his lip, mustering control. “But you haven’t gone yet Jack – I know that...I know you’re coming back to me...” He pulled the chair closer to the bed and rested his head on their joined hands, silent tears sliding down his face. Come back to me Jack...I can’t lose you...
When Stella looked in some time later, Ianto was asleep, the tear tracks visible on his cheeks, his pale face looking so young and vulnerable in slumber. She approached quietly and pressed a light kiss on his head before stroking Jack’s face and left them alone, returning to her makeshift office in an empty bay at the end of the ward.
Ianto was woken by Gwen and Rhys’ return where they were joined shortly after by Stella. She showed them her results – every patient’s brain wave pattern was identical...impossible, but true... Twenty more patients had been admitted with the same symptoms and the phones were ringing again – dialled by the brainwaves of the trance victims...whatever it was, it was growing in strength...and it had to be stopped...
Some frantic – and pretty brilliant - thinking pieced together the different parts of the puzzle...Maddock House, the thunderstorm, the lightning strike of 1976 and the recorded rift activity all fell into place leaving them with the solution – it was just like a computer virus – all they had to do was feed it back onto itself... At that moment the phones rang again – all the phones across the hospital - and the monitors went wild...it was reaching out...multiplying... Ianto grabbed Gwen’s PDA and started tapping urgently, linking the MRI scanner up to the hub...he just needed the phone from Maddock House...
“Do it now....”
Come back to me Jack...
“Jack...”
“Look, his brain pattern’s returning to normal!” Stella’s voice was relieved. She returned Ianto’s delighted hug before they all turned back to the bemused man in the bed.
“Ianto? Stella? Stella Courtney – is that you?”
“Hello, Jack...long time, no see...”
“Does somebody wanna tell me what’s going on?”
They grinned at each other, leaving Jack more bemused than ever, rolling their eyes as he dragged Ianto into a steamy kiss that left the pair of them breathless.
Several hours later Jack was having a final check up by Stella who pronounced him “impossible but charming” thereby confirming he was back to himself! The other patients had all reacted the same way, the electrical pulse killing the virus and restarting their brains – the only real casualty was the phone network, but that was somebody else’s headache!
Stella hugged everyone, finally kissing Jack fondly before climbing into her taxi, brushing off Jack’s enthusiastic attempt to rediscover the seventies - the team laughing at his pout when she told him quite categorically that there was no cure for his terrible dancing! He closed the taxi door and grinned. “Bye, Stella...and thanks...”
They waved as the car pulled away and was lost in the stream of traffic.
“Right, Gwen, Rhys – home...and don’t come in tomorrow unless the world’s ending...”
He held a hand out towards Rhys, pulling the startled man in for a hug when his hand was taken. “Thank you for everything you did today...you and Gwen made quite the team...”
Despite himself Rhys hugged back, chuckling, “Oh yea, Team Torchwood...do I get a gun now?!”
Jack released him, grinning, “I don’t think so!” His face became serious and he nodded, “Thank you,” he said again, quietly, watching as Gwen grabbed her husband’s arm and dragged him away, his voice rising excitedly as he explored the possibilities of being a secret agent...
Jack turned to Ianto and tugged the young man towards him, folding him into his arms where he buried his head into Jack’s neck, inhaling the familiar, intoxicating scent of his Captain.
“So, you don’t remember anything about your trance, then?”
“No! Did you talk to me while I was out of it? They say that’s what you’re supposed to do...”
Ianto looked at his feet. “I talked...a little...but I’m not much of a talker...that’s just me...” He bit his lip.
Jack stroked his fingers lovingly through the Welshman’s hair, “I know...” he kissed his neck gently as he whispered, “...but you never will be just a blip in time, Ianto Jones...not for me.”
Ianto blushed. Jack had heard him...everything...“Bed?” he mumbled against Jack’s skin.
“Nah, spent enough time in bed...for the moment!” he added hastily as Ianto lifted his head, eyebrows raised in mock horror. “How about a gentle stroll, something to eat and then...” he whispered suggestively in the Welshman’s ear, watching as the colour rose across his cheeks before capturing his lips in a soft and tender kiss.
Pulling apart when they ran out of air, Jack reached for Ianto’s hand and entwined their fingers, smiling contentedly as they headed towards the bay.
Chapter 1 http://zazajb.livejournal.com/21283.html