All the time we have - Prologue/8 + epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 
Artwork by the wonderful badly_knitted   
( Original artwork here )

Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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

All the time we have 1/8 + epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

 

All the time we have 1/8 + epilogue

Chapter 1

They leant over the railings eating hot chips as they gazed out over the bay, watching as the sun dipped slowly into the sea, the sky radiating the dying warmth of the day with rich reds, purples and golds – it was beautiful.

Ianto shivered a little as the temperature dropped, wishing he’d bought a jacket.

“You ok?”

“Yeah...just a bit cold now.” He took another chip from the bag in Jack’s hand as his Captain stepped behind him to wrap his coat around them both.

“Better?” he murmured, nuzzling into the younger man’s neck.

“Mmnnn...much...” he hesitated, “Jack..?”

“How much do I really remember? Not that much! I remember you and that’s it! There were lots of sounds, but it was like white noise...the only thing I could actually hear was you and even that was hard to make out.“ He paused, trying to find the words to describe the sensation. “It was like we were opposite ends of a very long corridor and the comms were down – I could hear you but I had to concentrate to make out the words clearly. I do remember a very forceful ‘I’m not going anywhere!’ I think that kind of anchored me to your voice...”

He brushed his lips against the soft skin behind Ianto’s ear, feeling the shudder that rippled through his body in response. Crushing the now nearly empty bag of rapidly cooling chips, Jack steered them away from the railings and back towards the hub, dropping the bag in the litter bin as they passed.

He tugged on Ianto’s hand urging him to move faster until they burst through the entrance to the Tourist Information and he finally got to slam the Welshman up against the door they’d just come through and kiss him into oblivion, the strain and tensions of recent events boiling over into wild passion and feral want.

They arched and thrust against each other, their kisses hot, wet and open mouthed as hands raked over clothing, tugging shirts from trousers and sliding underneath, desperate to touch skin to skin... They made love roughly, hands tangled in hair, fingers digging into soft flesh, the need to possess and feel alive more important than finesse – that would come later – as they cried their release and slumped panting over the counter.

Ianto turned in his Captain’s arms and kissed him tenderly, fingers threading lovingly through his hair. He buried his face in his neck and inhaled the heady and intoxicating scent that was just Jack.

“You ok..?” he mumbled.

Jack’s response was to hold him tighter. “I am now...” He tipped the Welshman’s face up to his and brushed his thumb lightly over his cheek, the young man’s gentle sigh lost as he claimed his mouth, lips soft and responsive under his own as they surrendered to the moment...

Surfacing for air long, sweet minutes later, they broke apart reluctantly and restored their clothing enough to walk through the hidden door and down into the hub. Ianto headed for the kitchen to put some coffee on while Jack took the rest of their clothes down to his cubbyhole under his office and turned the shower on to warm.

Ianto clambered down the ladder with practiced ease, clasping two steaming mugs of coffee. Jack took one and sipped appreciatively before removing the rest of his own clothes and then helping Ianto with his! He stepped under the hot spray, tugging his Welshman in after him where he wrapped him in his arms and they kissed softly, each relishing the closeness. They stood pressed together for long, enjoyable minutes before washing each other, light, sensual touches reaffirming their unspoken commitment... Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before they were each showing renewed interest, Ianto pressing his Captain up against the wall as he kissed him into oblivion before making love to him, sweetly, tenderly, as the water cascaded down on them...

Dry and encased in casual clothes, they headed up into the main hub. Ianto made some fresh coffee while Jack checked the computers. It looked like staying calm for a few hours at least...

“I liked Stella...she had an amazing mind and a real zest for life...” Ianto was sat back on the raggedy sofa, Jack’s head in his lap as he stretched out with his feet up. One hand threaded through his Captain’s hair, the other entwined with one of Jack’s, their fingers sliding over each other, stroking softly, intimate and tender... “I can see why she attracted you...”

Jack nodded, “Oh yes, she always had a brilliant mind...inventive...resourceful...and she had one hell of an imagination for a boffin..!” His eyebrows arched suggestively.

Ianto rolled his eyes. “Don’t even think about sharing tales of your sexploits!” he said lightly, even as he bit on his bottom lip, quashing the spark of jealousy that flared at the unwelcome images shooting through his head.

“So, how did you meet her...and why has she still got her memories..?” He frowned, “...I mean, she knew you can’t die...knew all about Torchwood...why didn’t you retcon her? Why’s she so...” he couldn’t quite keep the slight catch out of his voice, “...special?”

Jack, about to tease his Welshman for getting wound up over an ex-lover, bit the comment back as he noted the hitch in his voice. He grimaced, realising he had his work cut out to convince Ianto he wasn’t just a blip in time...and he wasn’t, he was so much more...he made Jack complete... He sighed; losing Tosh and Owen had shaken them all, but it had especially affected Ianto, who’d suddenly realised his own frail mortality – understandable of course, under the circumstances, but couple that with an immortal lover and that left a tumble of tangled emotions that they’d so far just skirted around without attempting to examine... Where to start? He sighed again, jumping as Ianto tugged a little sharply on his hair.

“Just sighing doesn’t tell me anything...” a note of bitterness crept in, “...so are you gonna share your fond trip down memory lane?” The hand entwining with Ianto’s stilled and squeezed gently, before resuming the gentle stroking.

“Stella was a junior doctor back in the summer of 1975. She was gorgeous – you saw her zest for life and those wonderful eyes, they just sparkled like diamonds back then and I was hooked! We met under unusual circumstances to say the least... I wasn’t the boss, that was Patrick and he was a mean, ruthless son-of-a-bitch, sent from Torchwood London to restore control... Oh, it was complicated – and nothing about me, for a change...

Erik, the previous boss, got drunk one night and shot his mouth off about Torchwood, the rift, aliens...you know... Fortunately, no-one believed him of course and he was hauled off to the local institution and sectioned for his own good. He died three days later under dubious circumstances after a visit from Patrick – make what you will of that! But, that’s digressing... 

We’d had a hard summer of it with all sorts of crap coming through the rift and we’d struggled to cope with it, meaning some corners were cut and a few people escaped with their memories, so there were rumours flying around...it was actually thought we were some kind of peculiar religious cult... Anyway, Patrick took charge and anyone who’d even heard a whisper of Torchwood either got a severe case of amnesia or had a rather nasty fatal accident – as I said, he was a ruthless bastard...

That summer there was a strange case of vanishing hair...”

“Hair...like this hair..?” Ianto gave a gentle pull on Jack’s dark locks.

“Yeah, people were going to bed perfectly normal and waking up bald with a serious headache and no memory of what had happened. It was obvious there was something alien involved but nothing we could pin down. Obviously, those affected were dealt with and were either retconned as cancer patients or suffering severe stress, but it was a massive operation to make sure we covered families and so on – Patrick would’ve been happy to just shoot everyone, but we fought him on that...

Joe, my partner in crime - strictly professional...” he added hastily, seeing Ianto’s eyes roll, “...he hated Patrick as much as I did, so we worked round the clock between us – twelve hours each, trying to find this thing before Patrick did end up committing mass murder.

It was my night on and I was wandering round the hospital grounds – we tended to stay fairly close to the hospital so we’d hear about any new cases quickly – when I heard or felt something...I can’t quite describe it, but it was like a crack of static electricity and I knew there was something else there, so I scouted around a bit...ending up at the building that housed the nurse’s quarters...” he paused, waiting for a smirk or quip from the young man, but nothing came – Ianto was following every word, an intense look on his lovely face...

“There was a crash and a scream...the cue for your dashing Captain...” he grinned and stretched his other hand out towards the hub, “...I am dashing – you gotta give me that! So, I burst into this room by kicking the door down...”

“You didn’t try the handle first?” Ianto chuckled, shaking his head, “...you didn’t did you...just kicked it in..!”

Jack attempted a sheepish look that failed completely, overwhelmed by the animated ‘hero to the rescue’ beaming smile that lit up his face and melted Ianto’s heart. “So, there was Stella in her tiny short pyjamas struggling with this thing – it was about seven feet tall, looked a bit like Sully from Monsters Inc, only in grey, without the tail and its hands were webbed, with flat discs at the end of its fingers. It had her hair – she had long chestnut hair all the way down to her bum - in its mouth and it was trying to put its hands on her face...we found out later that the pads had an anaesthetising effect when they made contact with skin...she was batting it off with a hockey stick – and doing quite well by herself – but as this dashing hero had kicked her door in I thought I’d better give her a hand, so I emptied a can of weevil spray in its face and stuck a couple of syringes of sedative into it.. It hit the deck and she just stood there staring at me. I thought she’d be grateful, but no, she looked me up and down and demanded to know who the hell I was and what I was doing in her bedroom!”

He looked so affronted at the memory that Ianto laughed out loud and leant down to plant a tender kiss on his lips, the kiss deepening as Jack’s tongue slid into his mouth, his hand sliding behind the young man’s neck pulling him closer until they broke off for air, gasping.

“So, I sat down on her bed and told her exactly who I was, what I was doing...what I did...and she just took it! She even got on her knees and studied the thing – I’d never seen anything like it. Then she got me to cut her hair – it was ragged and chewed on one side so I cut it to just above her shoulders with her surgical scissors...then she kissed me...it was surreal! She helped me get the body out to the van we had then and I arranged to meet her for coffee later that day – obviously I was supposed to retcon her then...

We met and she asked me about the creature – it died, we figured it had a reaction to the spray or the sedative...either way, Patrick was pleased – case closed! Anyway, I liked her and I just couldn’t bring myself to actually give her the retcon...instead I told her more and more as the weeks went on and then she moved away to take up a trainee neuro-surgical post in Coventry and we lost touch for about a year.

We met again in Accident & Emergency when she was called in to assess the brain damage to a young boy who’d been attacked by a weevil – I was there to wipe the memories of all those involved and she helped me...after that we met regularly and we’d talk about Torchwood...it was nice to have someone outside that I could share things with...gradually she started getting involved in cases and after Patrick was killed and Joe took over, she would come to the hub and help out...

I think we might’ve gone on like this forever, but in the spring of 1980 she was offered the post to head up a new neurological research unit at Kings College hospital in London...and we lost touch again. I kept track of her career...checked in once in a while to make sure she was ok...and I guess that’s where we came in...” He looked up, meeting Ianto’s gaze anxiously, “...are we ok..?”

Ianto smiled, his special just-for-Jack-when-we’re-alone smile, “...yep! We’re good...and now I think it’s time for bed...” sighing happily as his lips were captured in a searing kiss before Jack led him to his office and down the ladder...

 

 Chapter 2 http://zazajb.livejournal.com/21745.html

 

All the time we have 2/8 + epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

 

All the time we have 2/8 + epilogue

Chapter 2

The next few days were quiet, the rift worryingly docile and leaving the team with way too much time on their hands. Jack found that whilst he yearned for these quiet times when they were run ragged with weevils and all manner of rift activity, when they actually got them, no-one ever knew what to do with them! More than anything, it gave them too much time to think...and thinking was dangerous...dangerous and painful...

He shoved his files aside and glanced at his watch. It was coffee time...he heaved himself out of the chair and looked out over the hub, the all too empty hub...Tosh, Owen...I miss you... Gwen was tapping away on her keyboard, an intense expression on her face he recognised as one borne of grief - she’d been working on Tosh’s mainframe programmes in between the frantic bursts of activity so it stood to reason that as it was quiet...

He rested his head against the glass and closed his eyes, trying desperately to block the image of Tosh sprawled broken and bloody on the autopsy floor, that quiet look of acceptance in her eyes as she gazed at him...Tosh...I’m so sorry...

He sighed as warm arms wrapped around his waist and a chin nestled into his shoulder. No words were spoken, but he knew what they would’ve said...this was hard on them all... He turned in the embrace and pressed their lips together lightly before nuzzling into the Welshman’s neck. For one so young he certainly had a way of knowing exactly what Jack needed – usually before he knew himself...I do love this man... 

He breathed in deeply, the comforting scent of Ianto flooding his senses and he felt himself relaxing, the tension in his shoulders easing to be replaced with stirrings of desire as the young man ran feather-light kisses down the side of his neck, lingering on the soft skin behind his ear, before trailing across his throat and up the other side where he claimed his lips...softly at first, the kiss deepening as Jack slid his tongue into Ianto’s willing mouth where they duelled pleasurably...

Breaking apart, panting for breath, they rested their foreheads together, their eyes closed in comfortable silence. Ianto sighed gently, “I think Gwen might appreciate the chance of a long lunch with Rhys...” he murmured against Jack’s ear. “Then maybe we could...relax?” He nibbled on Jack’s earlobe, feeling the shudder of desire that eddied through him and the twitch in his groin as it pressed against him.

Jack slid reluctantly out of his Welshman’s arms and went down to stand behind Gwen’s workstation. As he’d suspected, she was working through one of Tosh’s many programmes and tears dripped down her cheeks to splash onto her jeans. He put one hand on her shoulder and offered her his hanky with the other. She took it with a muffled “thank you” and turned a watery smile on him.

“Take a break,” he said gently. “Go and find Rhys and have a long lunch – I don’t want to see you back before three at the earliest...and I promise I’ll call if anything happens...” he forestalled her protests with a smile. “Go...” He watched as she saved the programme and picked up her bag, dabbing her eyes and smearing mascara all over his hanky. She offered it back to him and he grinned, “...can you imagine what Ianto would do to me if he saw that?”

Gwen’s smile was genuine this time and she crumpled the offending hanky in her hand, planted a gentle kiss on his cheek and was gone, the roller door closing loudly behind her.

Ianto came out of the office, their mugs of now cold coffee in his hands, as he headed across to the kitchen. Jack followed him, watching as he rinsed the mugs and set them to dry. As the young man reached for the beans to make some fresh, he batted his hands away and tugged him into his arms, sliding one hand round to the small of his back and the other to the back of his neck, pulling him close before capturing his mouth with a passionate kiss that quickly became wild and messy as they writhed against each other.

Ianto moaned against Jack’s mouth as he ground their hips together, desire and feral want building rapidly. His hands groped at Jack’s clothes, pulling the braces from his shoulders and fumbling with the buttons of his shirt as Jack attacked the buttons of Ianto’s waistcoat. They came up for air, briefly, diving back in to more hot, wet kisses, teeth clashing as they continued to tear each other’s clothes off.

Jacket, waistcoat, shirts and undershirt piled up on the floor, hands scrabbling at belts, buckles, buttons and zips until the offending items pooled around their ankles to leave them almost naked. They toed off shoes, boots and socks, finally kicking their tangled undergarments and trousers away as they thrust and arched together, senses reeling, passions rising...

Jack pulled away and launched an assault on Ianto’s neck, nipping with his teeth and soothing with his tongue, Ianto’s moans rising in volume as his Captain moved down his body, pausing to leave vivid purple bruises at random intervals. Ianto’s breath was a mix of hard pants and load groans, his knees were weak and his body was trembling from head to foot, a hoarse cry escaping his gloriously pink, kiss-swollen lips as Jack’s mouth closed around him...

Ianto felt the waves of pleasure building, raging through his body, igniting fires in every nerve ending, muscles taut and straining, his focus narrowed to the feel of Jack’s hands and the heat of his mouth. He arched forward, crying out Jack’s name as he exploded...fireworks going off in his brain and he almost blacked out with the intensity of his climax, his body shuddering over and over until he slumped limply against the worktop.

Jack released him and slid up his body, crushing their lips together, his tongue diving into his Welshman’s mouth so he could taste himself as he was kissed to oblivion and back again. Parting long, breathless minutes later, Ianto gazed into Jack’s eyes, drowning himself in the intensity of emotion that reflected back at him. He loved Jack with all his being and he wanted to be with him forever...but that’s not going to happen, is it...you’re going to die - soon...Torchwood always die young... The brutal thought stomped across his head, crushing the fledgling buds of recovery that had begun to emerge over recent weeks and his feeling of contentment vanished. He shoved the destructive thought aside and clung on to his Captain, burying his face in the older man’s hair as tears filled his eyes.

Jack held him tightly, sensing the change as the young man’s body tensed. He had no idea what had prompted the swift change in mood, but he knew him well enough to know that he’d talk when he was ready. In the meantime he would just hold him...which wasn’t actually a hardship, especially as they were both naked...

He tipped the Welshman’s chin up and brushed his tears aside gently with his thumbs, pressing light kisses to every inch of his face, feeling him trembling in his arms. “Sshh, it’s ok...it’s going to be ok...” punctuating his words with more soft kisses. “C’mon...” Entwining their fingers, he led them to his office and down the ladder where he pulled back the covers and urged the now shivering Ianto into bed, climbing in after him and tugging him back into his arms, pressing their bodies together to feel the heat of his skin transfer to the chilled body beside him.

Ianto snuggled in close and lost himself in the feel of Jack’s reassuring warmth wrapped around him. He closed his eyes as Jack continued to pepper his skin with loving kisses, gradually relaxing under the gentle touch of his Captain’s lips. Jack stroked his hair and held him tightly, “...better?” he whispered, his breath soft and warm against Ianto’s ear.

“Mmnn,” he mumbled in reply, the soothing stroking of his hair and the lingering effects of his wild release making him quite sleepy. His breathing slowed and he drifted off, secure in the arms of the man he loved...

Jack continued to thread his fingers through the young man’s hair, loving the silky feel of it against his skin. He tucked himself in closer and closed his eyes, telling himself five minutes wouldn’t do any harm...

A couple of hours later his eyes fluttered open as he felt his gorgeous armful of Welshman stirring, shifting round to face him, a gentle smile on his lovely face. “Hey..!” Ianto leant in for a kiss, his lips soft and responsive against his Captain’s, their tongues entwining, dancing first in one mouth, then the other as the kiss intensified and delicious shivers of desire ran through them.

Ianto’s hands slid down Jack’s body, fingers dancing lightly over his warm flesh, closing over his prize possessively as it sprung to attention under his touch. Jack moaned against his mouth as the young man moved his hand slowly...tantalisingly...enough to be movement without allowing momentum to build...he had other plans... He broke off from their endless kisses to whisper huskily, “...make love to me Jack...” before reclaiming his lips once more, sighing happily as the older man rolled them over to finish on top and he gave himself completely to the wondrous sensations as Jack proceeded to take him to heaven and back, leaving them spent and panting in a tangle of limbs...

Lying on his back, watching idly as Ianto traced circles on his chest and stomach, Jack broke the comfortable silence, “...so...are you ok now..? Y’know...after...earlier..?” He flicked a glance at the younger man as the hand stilled and he felt the tension return...”...you wanna talk about it..? I’m a good listener...and I can kiss it better...whatever it is...I’m really good at kissing things better...”

He reached up and tugged the Welshman down for a steamy kiss to prove his point, releasing him only when they ran out of air... Ianto’s heart was pounding in his chest and his tired body showed renewed signs of interest despite itself... He had to admit it – Jack was very good at kissing...

He fixed his gaze on Jack’s smooth chest and took a deep breath, “Do you remember all the people you’ve ever loved..?” his voice was low and controlled.

Whatever he’d been expecting, it wasn’t that! Jack was momentarily thrown off-guard and he answered honestly, before stopping to think if that was the answer he should’ve given... “No...not all of them...”

Ianto’s hand clenched and he bit his lip, expressions of fear and uncertainty washing across his face. “How far back do you remember..? Tell me about them...”

“Ianto...” Jack reached for him, not at all sure he liked where this was headed.

“No..!” A hand pressed flat on his chest kept him on his back. “Tell me...please...” he bit down on his lip again, harder this time, wincing absently at the sudden pain, “...please Jack...I need to know...” A shadow crossed his face, “...tell me about your other blips in time...” he bit back a sob, slumping forward onto his Captain’s chest, his breath heaving as he fought for control...

A brief silence followed, “Why do we all have to die?” suddenly bursting from his lips, his voice harsh and bitter as the dam finally broke and he sobbed uncontrollably, Jack’s embrace closing around him, rocking him, murmuring words of love and nonsense as the distraught young man fell apart in his arms.

Finally lifting his tear-stained face, his red rimmed eyes meeting Jack’s saddened blue grey depths, he whispered a tiny, “...sorry...”

Jack raised an eyebrow in surprise, “...what for?”

“I ruined our long lunch...and we didn’t even have lunch...” he mumbled, brushing fresh tears away impatiently.

Jack pulled him close and kissed him, long and deep, his tongue sweeping through his mouth possessively. “You didn’t ruin anything...and we did have lunch...” he waggled his eyebrows suggestively, “...not the kind you’d get over the counter at Subway maybe, but we did have lunch!”

Ianto grinned despite himself and kissed his Captain passionately, thrusting his body towards him, feeling the response from the older man match his own. Tangling his hands in his hair, they ground their bodies together, the foreplay hard and rough on both sides as they fought for control of the game, Jack finally surrendering to his Welshman who proceeded to love him wildly, an edge of rawness to his touches that took Jack to new heights of pleasure until they collapsed breathless and satisfied in each other’s arms, exhausted sleep claiming them almost immediately as they curled up together in the tiny bunk.

When Gwen returned at half past three, glowing from a loving session of her own, she was surprised to find the hub apparently deserted, until, deciding to see if Ianto had left any coffee on, she made her way to the kitchen to find their clothes strewn all over the floor... She grinned widely and picked them up, folding them carefully before taking them down to Jack’s office where she set them in the middle of his desk, apart from Ianto’s jacket which she hung over the back of the chair...

About to leave, she was overcome with curiosity and crept towards the hole in the floor, kneeling down to peek into the room below, a fond smile curving her lips as her gaze fell on the two men wrapped around each other, sound asleep. Looking closer she could see how closely they were pressed together, Jack’s nose buried in Ianto’s hair, his arm draped possessively around Ianto’s waist, their hands clasped together with expressions of contentment on their faces...

Giving in to temptation, she fumbled in her pocket and pulled out her phone, capturing the picture below for posterity. Chuckling to herself, she retreated and went back to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea before spending a happy half hour downloading and printing the picture she’d just taken. Leaving a glossy postcard sized print on top of their clothes alongside a “Goodnight boys!” note, she took an executive decision to have an early night and hurried home to her husband.

Jack and Ianto slept on into the early evening, warm and content in each other’s arms...

 

Chapter 3 http://zazajb.livejournal.com/21902.html

All the time we have 3/8 + epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

All the time we have 3/8 + epilogue

Chapter 3

Jack opened his eyes slowly, he was deliciously warm and cosy and wrapped around a gorgeous Welshman. He snuggled in, breathing in the familiar and reassuring scent that was Ianto. He had no idea what time it was, though no doubt it was way beyond the realms that could realistically be categorised under a ‘long lunch’! Dismissing the thought, he pressed a gentle kiss to the side of Ianto’s neck, nuzzling closer, a smile curving his lips as the young man stirred and mumbled his name...he adored being the first word out of that sensual mouth as he woke...

He added more soft kisses as the mumbling switched to murmurs of appreciation and he felt his body twitch in response to the wriggling of his Welshman’s hips... He reached out to turn the young man round to face him, capturing his lips in a tender kiss that grew in intensity...and then it was later still and they were pressed together under the shower as the warm spray cascaded down on them...

They emerged, sated and glowing, when the water was cooling and dried each other, no words...just emotions and soft brushes of lips... Ianto rummaged in Jack’s wardrobe, pulling out an old battered pair of jeans and one of Jack’s t-shirts and disappeared up the ladder to put on some coffee and order a pizza – it was late and he was hungry! He grinned as he saw their clothes piled up on Jack’s desk, his eyes widening as he picked up the photo and an unmistakable warm feeling crept through him as he absorbed the closeness of their bodies even in sleep...

“Our clothes are up here...Gwen must’ve found them...oh, and she left us this..!” He dropped the picture down to Jack and continued on his way to the kitchen without waiting to hear Jack’s response. Coffee made and pizza ordered, he headed back to Jack’s office to find his Captain still naked, gazing at the picture, one finger trailing gently over their still forms...

“Jack..?” he frowned at the lack of response, reaching out a hand to the older man’s shoulder, his breath catching in his throat as Jack turned and looked at him, tears rolling down his cheeks... “...this is what I’ll always remember...we’re so beautiful...” his voice trailed away as he grabbed a handful of t-shirt and pulled the young man towards him, crushing their lips together hungrily, desperately, as he tried to show in action the words he could never seem to say out loud...

The ring of the Tourist Information bell finally broke them apart as it announced the arrival of their belated lunch-dinner and Ianto regretfully disentangled himself from his Captain’s embrace, their fingers remaining entwined until the last moment and they were out of reach...

By the time Ianto had let in the delivery man and paid him, Jack had pulled on some clothes and was sat on the sofa in his office, sipping his cooling coffee, a thoughtful look on his face...

They munched their pizza in silence – a not unpleasant brooding kind of silence – that Jack broke by taking both of Ianto’s hands in his and entwining their fingers carefully before announcing, “I’ve loved hundreds of people in my lifetime, but I’ve been in love with very few...three, in fact...the first two were centuries ago...the third...is you...” he squeezed their joined hands and looked up to meet Ianto’s blue eyes, love blazing out of his own blue grey pools. “I don’t say it very often because I try not to love anyone, really love...it hurts so much when I have to lose them...” He leant forward to press their lips together gently, relishing the softness as they kissed tenderly.

“I tried so hard to resist you Jones, Ianto Jones...everything you did...we did...and I was getting by...it was...well, I don’t know what it was, but it just was...and then there was the Master and the one thought that kept me fighting was you – your face, your laugh...just you and I knew I had to keep going so I could tell you...only I never did...sshh,” he stilled Ianto’s predicted protest as he opened his mouth, “I never said those words properly...I love you...” he smiled, half shyly as he kissed his Welshman again, breaking off to say again, louder, “I love you...” and finally shouting it so it echoed around the empty hub, “I love you,” capturing the young man’s lips in a searing kiss as he melted against him.

They settled on the sofa, lips still tingling from their prolonged and enjoyable kisses, Ianto leant into Jack’s shoulder as the older man draped his arm around him, a warmth in his belly that had absolutely nothing to do with hot coffee or pizza... “Tell me some more about your time with Stella...” he said, wriggling closer as Jack’s embrace tightened.

“Right, well, after we’d met briefly in A & E, I bumped into her in the grocery store a few days later – hey, none of your giant supermarkets back then! I bought tea and sugar and milk and she punched me on the arm for ignoring her! Tell the truth, I was a little distracted as we’d been working flat out trying to track an unknown energy signature that seemed to have a taste for cats – night after night we were finding the stripped carcasses of someone’s beloved pet and it was really starting to grate - and it was costing a fortune in replacements...” he shrugged as Ianto raised an eyebrow, “I’m not totally without heart y’know...some of these kids were devastated so we bought new cats for them and gave them a gentle dose of retcon, just enough for the suggestion to be implanted...”

He grinned as Ianto reached for him, “I love you, you big soppy oaf...” and allowed himself to be thoroughly kissed before he continued with his tale.

“So, I met up with Stella for a coffee and we took up where we left off before she’d moved away...it was really nice to have someone to talk to about everything, especially the rough bits – don’t forget I wasn’t the boss so there were lots of things I did that I didn’t agree with...some were, well...no, you really don’t want to know, suffice to say, there’s no way on earth I’d do them by choice...

Stella was gorgeous, funny and darned clever with it. She helped me plot the attacks and narrow them down to an area to the west of the park and then came with me as my cover – we spent the evening snogging against a tree...” he squeezed Ianto tightly, “...not as romantic as it sounds – we both had one eye open for a cat-hungry alien and that tends to take the edge off anything else!

So there we were, draped over each other for three hours waiting and then we noticed this ginger cat stalking up on this little bird, only as soon as it was close enough this little bird turned into a bloody huge Diatryma – that’s a prehistoric bird of prey-type thing, eight feet tall, the T-Rex of birds if you like...and just sucked the cat into its beak before we had a chance to blink! There was no way I was letting it get its beak into Stella, so I shoved her behind the tree and threw myself at it...”

“...my big brave hero...” Ianto murmured, grinning.

“I managed to get the syringe into its neck, but that just made it mad and it spat the cat out - God, that was disgusting! - and tried to replace it with me as I tried to shove a second sedative into it. We danced a bit and then it knocked me over with one of its bloody wings, and it probably would’ve eaten me then if Stella hadn’t come out from behind the tree and distracted it so I had time to get up. I was just going for the syringe when it remembered I was there and side-swiped me with its beak...and broke my neck...”

Ianto sat up in horror, “It killed you?”

“Yeah...dead as the proverbial dodo!” he pulled the Welshman back into his embrace before continuing. “So, I’m dead on the floor and when I revive I’ve got my head in Stella’s lap and an unconscious giant bird next to us...incidentally, a giant bird that stank! The first thing Stella does is hit me! I can see her now – her face – she was so angry! ‘I thought you were bloody dead, Jack! Don’t do that to me!’ How little she knew then!

So, when I’d gone down she’d grabbed the syringe from the ground and jabbed it in its leg which, combined with the earlier shot, was enough to knock it out...”

“So, did you tell her that you were dead..?”

“Yeah, although she took some convincing! She was just about to try and find a pulse when I revived, so I didn’t have that little gem to help me. In the end I offered to shoot myself to prove it to her...which, of course, she declined...and hit me again...come to think of it...she used to hit me quite a lot back then!”

“I knew I liked her!” Ianto chuckled, tipping his head up to press for a kiss, which delayed the storytelling for some considerable time as they crawled progressively further inside each other’s mouths, hands raking over bodies and tangling in hair until they ran out of oxygen and pulled apart gasping.

“No, she didn’t believe me until she saw it...ironically, this particular death was nothing alien related at all...we were out walking...going on a picnic actually...I like picnics – there’s something about eating in the open air – and we were going along a narrow country road when a car came along and ploughed straight into us...I barely had time to shove her out the way before it hit me, crushed me totally and then careered off the road into a tree...

Stella said she saw immediately I was dead so went to help the driver. He was dead too – heart attack at the wheel she thought... Well, no mobile phones in those days, so she sat and waited to see if I’d come back...which of course I did! She took it well – hugged me, kissed me...and hit me all in the space of a minute, and that was it really, we never mentioned it after that!”

He tugged Ianto in closer and kissed him tenderly. “You had enough for tonight? Want to come back to bed..?”

Ianto sighed softly against Jack’s mouth, their tongues swirling lazily as they explored familiar territory until they broke for air. “Do you think you’ll tell our story like this one day..?” he asked, wistfully, blinking back the tears that sprang unbidden at the thought of being without Jack...the thought that for that to happen, he’d need to be dead...

Jack sat up and cupped the young man’s face with both hands, gazing into his eyes, “...like this? No...that would mean I’d be here with someone else...feeling how I feel now...with you, loving you...but I will share our story – with my team...whoever they are – they’ll all know about a man called Jones, Ianto Jones...” his eyes filled with tears... “C’m here...” he crushed their lips together, his arms wrapping round the Welshman he loved so much...needed...

Jack led him back down the ladder and undressed him slowly, worshipping his body, loving him completely until they lay tangled and trembling in the afterglow... Jack kissed him softly. “That picture...the one Gwen took...we’re going to use that to start our own memory collection... something we can build together...we’re going to do a time capsule of us...” He kissed him again and snuggled in as they drifted off to sleep...

 

Chapter 4  http://zazajb.livejournal.com/22078.html

 

All the time we have 4/8 + epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

 

All the time we have 4/8 + epilogue

Chapter 4

They were pulled out of bed at five am, the rift alerter proclaiming something relatively small, metallic and emitting bursts of energy had arrived uninvited in Butetown. They stumbled into their clothes and headed for the SUV, automatically checking their guns, ammo and location of the disturbance on the hand-held scanner.

“Looks like it’s in the middle of the school playing field...” Ianto yawned, peering at the tiny screen before rubbing his eyes sleepily.

Jack grinned at him – he loved the little-boy-lost look Ianto always wore when he was first awake. Impulsively he pulled out his phone and took a picture, chuckling at the Welshman’s indignant expression, “I’m collecting for our time capsule...” he murmured as they reached the SUV and he pressed the young man back against it as he kissed him, sweetly, without passion, before releasing him and climbing into the car.

They sped through the deserted streets, damp from overnight rainfall and were soon pulling onto the school playground. Jumping down, now far more awake – Jack’s enthusiastic driving had a way of bringing you to your senses rather abruptly – they strode towards the field.

The object was an orb, roughly the size of a football and was emitting tiny electro-magnetic pulses at regular intervals. Ianto crouched down and ran the scanner over it before standing again and glancing around them, frowning. “There’s something else nearby...” he said, swinging the scanner round in a gentle arc, “...much bigger and cloaked...a ship maybe..?”

Jack pressed a few buttons on his wrist strap and pointed to the far end of the field, “...down there...towards that electric pylon...”

They pulled their weapons and moved down towards the cloaked ship. Jack peered over Ianto’s shoulder as the scanner changed signature readings the further away they got from the orb. “Look – ion emissions...that’s different from earlier...” He tapped his head impatiently...”...Why is ion emissions familiar..?” He glanced at Ianto whose brow was crinkled in thought as he gazed absently down at his feet...

Ianto looked up, a grin on his face, “...tea dragon!” he said, this remarkable statement spreading a matching grin across his Captain’s face, who pulled him in for a deep, lip-melting kiss.

“Of course, your little brush with some alien LSD resulting in your temporary, but very impressive none-the-less, transformation into a magic tea dragon! I seem to recall having to drink a rather disgusting cup of tea made for you by none other than our own Dr Owen Harper...”

Ianto’s grin faded at the mention of Owen, his expression changing to one of sorrow as he remembered the fierce delight the acerbic doctor had taken in decorating the kitchen with stickers, flags and stuffed toy dragons he’d painstakingly tied teabags to with bits of red ribbon, even re-writing the words of a children’s song to fit Ianto’s high...all so he could tease him mercilessly...It seemed like such a long time ago now... He bit his lip, shoving aside the pangs of despair and grief that followed hot on the heels of uncertainty and self-doubt, glaring down at the scanner as unshed tears blurred his vision...

Noting the swift change of mood, Jack tugged him in for a hug and rubbed his back comfortingly in small circles, murmuring soft words of reassurance before redirecting their concentration back to the mystery of the cloaked ship...

 “So, the shell was left behind by the Corahcuts...they use ion emissions as fuel or energy...so by rights, we should get a warm welcome...” He reached out and pushed his hand through the cloaking shield, feeling along the side of the ship... “Ah ha..! Got it...back in a minute...” and he vanished, a minute shimmer the only indication he’d ever been there.

“Ja...bloody hell Jack!” Ianto swore some more in rather expressive Welsh as he found himself talking to thin air...

“Tut tut! Such language!” Jack reappeared almost immediately, clutching Ianto’s hand and dragging him through what felt like a wall of dry water, the young man scoffing mentally at his description of the sensation because water was anything but dry! He looked around him, eyes wide as he took in his new surroundings.

They were in some kind of entrance hallway, the walls shimmering with a kind of incandescent sheen, with enormously high ceilings and elegant curves that obviously led to different parts of the ship. Jack tugged him towards the other end of the passageway into a cathedral sized room with a transparent domed roof...everything was smooth and elegant...including the occupants... It was immediately clear why the ceilings were so high – the two Corahcuts were at least nine feet tall, had incredibly long limbs and necks and moved with a quiet grace that was somehow quite mesmerising... Their voices, when they spoke, were soft and their speech, precise...their huge almond shaped eyes were dark against the white of their skin as they blinked at him.

Jack made introductions and they inclined their elegant heads in greeting. Ianto listened as they conversed intelligently with his Captain, content to just observe whilst his brain attempted to comprehend the latest twist his day had taken – Stella would be proud of all those new explosions going off in his head!

They’d been there for about twenty-five minutes when the panels on the wall began to pulsate. The Corahcuts glided elegantly over to brush their long, slim fingers across the controls, explaining that their craft was now fully recharged from the pylon’s ion emissions and they would be leaving once they had fulfilled their promise of an image for the future... Jack tugged Ianto over to the central console and draped an arm around his shoulders as the aliens placed themselves on either side of the two men...” ...smile!” Jack whispered in the Welshman’s ear, “another one for the time capsule, plus we can put a copy in the alien database...”

As Ianto smiled into Jack’s eyes, they both felt a miniscule tremor in their bodies, like they were being scanned – it was highly likely they’d be going into the Corahcut’s own alien database! Moments later, both phones beeped advising a message had been received – their photo... Goodbyes were exchanged and they left swiftly, retreating back up the field, past the orb – apparently it was both anchor and early warning system...

They waited several minutes, expecting to feel the rush of displaced air as the craft moved away, but nothing happened...and then the signals on the scanner were gone. They glanced at each other, quietly impressed, and headed back to the SUV.

Back at the hub, Ianto made coffee and toast while Jack downloaded the photos and updated the alien database. He printed copies of the two pictures for their capsule, smiling softly at the mussed hair and adorably sleepy look of his first picture, before going back to gazing at the image Gwen had left them...

He logged into his messages, hoping...yes, she’d sent him the file. He printed another two smaller copies and pulled them off the printer, trimming them neatly to wallet sized...ok it was incredibly girly but he wanted this picture with him... He gazed at it on the screen, noting again the way his arm draped possessively over the young man’s body, the way their hands entwined and how their bodies fitted together so perfectly...pressed skin to skin...

A rush of emotion sent sudden tears to his eyes and he blinked them away, smiling as the object of his thoughts came into his office with two steaming mugs of divinely aromatic coffee and a large plate of hot buttered toast which he set down on the desk before peering over his Captain’s shoulder to see what he was so engrossed in. Ianto rested his chin on Jack’s shoulder and slid his arms around him, pressing a light kiss to the side of his neck... No words were needed, Jack turning his head to meet the Welshman’s soft mouth in a knee-melting encounter that left his lips tingling, his heart pounding and his body trembling...

He gasped as he was swept off his feet to land in Jack’s lap to be kissed into oblivion before Jack made love to him, his touches alternating wildly between raw passion, feral want, desperation and a tenderness that bordered on reverence... Ianto’s body writhed and arched, his nerve endings on fire as his senses flew and he lost himself in the feel of Jack’s hands, the warmth of his mouth...nothing else mattered...it was just him, just Jack, right here and they soared...

Panting heavily, limbs tangled, as they slumped on the sofa in the office, Jack traced his fingers tenderly over the contours of his Welshman’s face...across his forehead and down his cute button nose, following the outline of his exquisite mouth, those glorious lips...pink and swollen from his kisses...he couldn’t resist those lips...as he slid his hand round the back of the young man’s head and pulled him in for another kiss, followed by another and another until they ran out of air...

Still somewhat dazed from the combination of Jack’s dizzying lovemaking and mind blowing kisses, Ianto leant against him as he was led to the shower where his Captain washed him lovingly from head to foot before drying him with equal care, finally folding him into his arms to hold him tightly as he buried his face in the young man’s freshly washed hair, the scent of the lime and ginger shampoo mingling with the Welshman’s own unique aroma...

“Jack..?” This attention was lovely, but a little unusual, even for Jack’s levels of unpredictable behaviour... “Jack..!” he said a little more sharply, hearing what sounded like a smothered sob... He wriggled in the embrace, finally pulling back enough to meet the older man’s eyes and he gasped at the intensity of the emotion that blazed out of the blue grey depths... “Ja...”

“Sshh...I just want to remember this...always...” He kissed him lightly. “There’s so much I want to remember...”

Ianto smiled, cupping Jack’s face and brushing his thumbs over his cheeks. “If it’s quiet again today we’ll send Gwen for another long lunch and then we can have a picnic...I know the perfect spot - Rhi and I used to go to when we were kids...” he pressed their lips together gently, “...now, get dressed and let’s find a box to put this in...” reaching into his jacket pocket to drag out a Welsh red dragon beanie toy he’d picked up from the Tourist Information as they’d returned from their encounter with the Corahcuts.

Jack grabbed the toy from his hand and laughed, “...anything for my magic tea dragon..!” as he reached for his trousers.

Ianto dressed quickly and vanished into the kitchen to replace their long forgotten coffee and toast while Jack pondered on the container to use for their capsule... He made his choice and took it back up to his office, setting it on the desk before turning to his computer. He opened his private files, calling up all the Ianto clips from the CCTV he’d collected since the young man had first captivated him as they’d rolled around on the floor of that grubby warehouse as an unconscious Myfanwy had plummeted towards them... He couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was...that suit...those gorgeous Welsh vowels and the obvious mutual attraction that the swellings in their trousers did nothing to hide...before he knew it, he’d offered him a job...

The aroma of coffee and hot toast preceded the return of Ianto who almost dropped the tray when he saw the tin box...

Jack leapt up and took the tray from him, plonking it on top of the files, before taking both of Ianto’s hands in his. “I know...” he said softly, “...but it’s perfect for what we need – it’s waterproof, sturdy, stands the test of time...that’s why we use them...” he squeezed the young man’s hands, watching the kaleidoscope of different emotions that washed over his face, knowing he was replaying the heartbreaking images of them packing away Owen’s and Tosh’s personal belongings into identical boxes...

Ianto bit on his lip, feeling the whimper building from his gut...one day his belongings would be going into one of these boxes...someone would be doing his final log out...Jack would be alone again...not for long, he’ll replace you soon enough... His mind tortured him with images of Jack cuddling up to some faceless person as he lay in a drawer in the morgue...dead...forgotten...replaced...well that’s what you get when you have an immortal lover, the ruthless voice in his head hammered it home and he couldn’t stop the sob that burst from his lips, burying his face in Jack’s neck as the older man wrapped him into his arms and dropped loving kisses on any part of him he could reach, rocking them gently...

“You’ll forget me...” Ianto mumbled, his tears dripping down Jack’s neck to soak into his collar.

“Never could..!” the words whispered into his ear were a comfort, but he wasn’t convinced.

“In a thousand years time, you won’t remember me...”

“I will...” Jack’s own tears spilled hot down his face, “...I will...I promise...” They clung to each other, Jack tipping the young man’s face up to his, capturing his lips to kiss him hungrily, their tears merging as they poured their feelings into the kiss, both aware that the first thread of the complicated tangle of emotions that defined them had been tugged free...

Breaking apart, they dried each other’s tears and belatedly ate their cold toast and drank the rather lukewarm coffee, Ianto curled up in Jack’s lap, knowing it was needy, but not wanting to be apart from his Captain for a minute if he didn’t have to...

Breakfast dealt with, Jack turned his attention back to the files on his computer, reaching into his desk drawer for several empty memory sticks to copy the recordings onto. Ianto glanced at the monitor and his mouth dropped open...he gaped at the screen which had hundreds of files... “Are they all of me..?” his voice incredulous.

“Yeah, you...or us...you wanna watch a few..?” Jack purred seductively in his Welshman’s ear, his breath hot on his neck, sending trails of goosebumps over his skin and a spike of desire to his groin at the thought of watching themselves... “Remember this one...archived entry from 1947? I believe it was a really good year..!” He clicked on the icon and they watched themselves, the sights and sounds inspiring some rather impressive swellings in their trousers, Ianto wriggling in Jack’s lap as they reached for each other, crushing their mouths together as he moaned softly against his Captain’s lips... “...wanna give me a history lesson..?”

   

Chapter 5  http://zazajb.livejournal.com/22319.html

  
 

All the time we have 5/8 + epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

 

All the time we have 5/8 + epilogue

Chapter 5

The roller door siren alerted them to the arrival of Gwen, although they were too far gone to actually do anything about it as Jack moaned and panted, his chest pressed into his desk as Ianto thrust wildly into him, his face flushed, head thrown back, eyes closed...

“Jack...Ianto..? Anyone home..? Gwen called out as she shrugged off her coat and dumped her bag by her workstation before taking the bag of pastries she’d picked up on the way in up to the kitchen. She put the kettle on to make herself a cup of tea, walking back along the top walkway towards Jack’s office as she pictured them curled up together, wondering if they were in a similar situation today...

Her mind was distracted enough not to recognise the sounds that met her ears at first, gasping loudly as she suddenly realised what she was hearing when Jack’s “oh God, Ianto...yes, there..!” echoed loudly around the hub, followed by some extremely expressive Welsh as Ianto followed him into ecstasy... She blushed scarlet, even though they couldn’t see her and she hadn’t actually seen them either, but there was no doubting the activities behind that closed door...

Turning swiftly on her heels to retreat, she recalled the last time she’d caught them in the hothouse... Ianto had looked so hot and ‘undone’...he really did love Jack... She bit her lip and pushed away the niggling jealousy that grumbled in her head...she had Rhys who adored her and she did love him...she did...it was just that Jack did something to her that she couldn’t explain... She shook her head and sat down at her computer, pulling up the programs she’d been working through. Ianto would be making coffee soon enough...

It was about fifteen minutes before the door to Jack’s office opened and Ianto headed out towards the kitchen, his hair mussed and a hint of pink on his cheekbones the only outward signs of his recent loving...well, maybe the huge grin on his face had something to do with it as well..! Gwen smiled to herself, her jealous goblin at peace for the moment seeing Ianto so obviously happy after he’d had such a rough ride recently...she giggled to herself at the unintentional double entendre, jumping as Jack leant over the railing to call to her.

“Hey! You ok down there? You were worlds away..?”

“You mean like you two were when I arrived this morning..!”

Jack grinned, “We were reviewing some archived files from 1947...”

“It sounded like it..!”

“Well...we were...to start with...and I guess we got a bit carried away...you could’ve come in and said hello..!”

Gwen giggled and didn’t answer, turning back to her keyboard and was soon engrossed in the intricate nuances of the rift predictor settings that Tosh had been perfecting... She jumped for the second time that morning when Ianto appeared at her shoulder with a mug of her favourite blend and the apple and cinnamon twist she’d chosen for herself.

“Sorry..! Didn’t mean to make you jump...” he put the mug down by the side of her computer and handed her the plate. She smiled her thanks, noting the kiss-swollen pink of his lips and subtle aroma of Jack that mingled with his own natural scent, and couldn’t stop the swift stab of envy when she imagined them together. Blushing, she turned back to her screen and began typing at top speed, complete and utter rubbish, but Ianto seemed to get the message and glided away, returning to Jack’s office with their mugs and pastries.

Jack accepted his mug, smiling softly when their fingers brushed together as the mug changed ownership. He sipped appreciatively and nodded, “...much better hot!”

Ianto grinned, “I’ll remind you of that next time you get distracted...sir!” He sipped his own drink – definitely better hot! They munched their pastries in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Ianto got to his feet and put the plates and mugs back on the tray, leaning across to plant a light kiss on his Captain’s lips before heading for the door. “I’ll wash these and then I’ll do the report for this morning...unless you want me to do anything else..?”

Jack raised his eyebrows suggestively and was rewarded with a roll of the Welshman’s eyes; the young man was most definitely back in work mode now! “Ok, I’ll shout if I need you...” He watched as Ianto retreated gracefully out of the door before turning back to his computer to start transferring the Ianto files to the flash drives, watching several and marking some to share with Ianto once he’d finished his report.

Ianto had washed the mugs and prepared the beans ready for the next coffee run, and was now heading back to the main hub to start on the report of their meeting with the Corahcuts. He smiled as Gwen gave him a sidelong glance as he sat down; she had something on her mind and knowing Gwen it wouldn’t be long until she started talking...

They both concentrated on their work, an uneasy silence falling between them...Gwen trying to quell the jealousy that kept bubbling to the surface every time she thought of the two men together, those carnal sounds replaying over and over in her head...Ianto wondering what she’d seen or heard that morning and if that was why she was ‘off’ with him...

The silence continued until a choked sob from Gwen got Ianto’s attention. He leapt to his feet and went to her workstation to see her huge brown doe eyes full of tears as she gazed at a message on the screen. The message was from Tosh and obviously something she’d planted within the program some time previously, knowing that it would only be seen after her death, “Nice work guys – you’ve done really well to get this far...you might want to keep an eye on the inverse matrices as the neutrinos tend to drift...I’m sure I’m missing you all from this side of the rift...”

The tears spilled down Gwen’s cheeks as she tapped her screen and pulled up the requisite readings – the neutrinos had drifted so she reset them, “Tosh knew we’d have to go through her programs to make sure we knew how they worked...she left us messages to keep us safe...she’s still keeping us safe even now...” she whispered hoarsely.

Ianto squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, “...you need a hanky?” he offered, his eyes widening as she shook her head and pulled one out of her pocket, clocking it immediately as one of Jack’s... The rumblings of jealousy reared their head and he snapped without thinking, “...no, you’ve got one already...fine...” Gwen’s face crumpled at his harsh tone and she buried her face in the already mascara-smudged cotton...

Sighing deeply, Ianto put his arms around her awkwardly and patted her on the back, “...sorry...” his voice regretful, “...I just miss them...” which was true, even if that wasn’t the real reason he’d bitten her head off... 

They remained still, each remembering their lost friends, until Gwen’s sobs stopped and she pulled away, drying her eyes before ramming the damp hanky back in her pocket.

Ianto sat back down and gazed at his screen. He’d just finished the report from that morning. He shook his head minutely and glanced across at Gwen, whose face reddened as she caught his eye – she’d been staring at him again... He turned to face her...get this over with...”I’m sorry if we embarrassed you this morning...when we were...you know...” he blushed and looked down at his shoes.

Gwen smiled, “It brought back memories...y’know...from the hothouse...” Ianto’s blush deepened and she giggled, reaching for his hand, “...actually, it’s quite a turn on...I told Rhys and we had quite a session that night...”

Ianto groaned, “I can hear Owen in my head right now..!”

They fell silent again, both picturing the acerbic medic who always had plenty to say on the subject of his boss shagging the tea boy...

The silence was broken by Jack shouting down from the railings outside his office, “Ianto! Any chance of a coffee and then I need you to go over the firearms competencies with me...”

Ianto rolled his eyes, “...sounds like fun all the way..! Coffee?”

“Yeah...please...we friends again..?”

“Yep! Oh, I’ve just sent you a copy of the report from this morning...nice encounter with some really tall beings called Corahcuts...took a really nice photo for us..!” He chuckled as Gwen leapt at her keyboard to check it out as he headed for the kitchen.

Coffee made, Ianto entered Jack’s office to see him staring intently at his computer, his hands clenched on the desk. Peering over his shoulder he grinned, “...that doesn’t look like firearms competencies, sir...”

Jack growled in response, whipping his chair round to drag his Welshman into a bone crushing embrace as he claimed his lips hungrily, tongue diving into his mouth to duel hotly with his own, the young man’s gasps lost against the rising passions within them... Coming up for air, Jack grinned wolfishly at the man in his arms. “I’ve been watching you...us...God, we’re hot..! Remember this..?” He swung the chair back round and opened a file called ‘Strip shooter’, “These are the firearms competencies...”

They watched the opening scene on the range where Ianto helped Jack on with his coat, buttoning it up and fastening the belt... Ianto paused the playback, grinning at Jack’s sulky pout. He brushed their lips together as he wriggled off his lap, “...hold that thought, Captain...I’ll be right back..!” and vanished from the office.

Jack watched through the window as the young man skipped down the steps and spoke to Gwen, whispering in her ear; watched as the Welshwoman gave him a hug, picked up her bag and left the hub, grinning madly, a spring in her step as the roller door closed behind her.

Moments later Ianto was back, sliding onto his lap to wrap his arms around his Captain and kiss him hard. Jack raised his eyebrows as they pulled apart. “I told her we had a lot of files to go through, that it would take ages and she might as well take advantage of the quiet and grab another long lunch with Rhys...she won’t be back until three...” he left out the whispered, “...why don’t you tell him about this morning and take it from there..?” that had prompted a wicked giggle and the impulsive hug.

Jack beamed and clicked ‘resume’... and they watched some rather impressive shooting that got progressively less accurate as clothes were removed and some devious distraction techniques resulted in targets being missed altogether...well, paper targets anyway... “C’m here...” Jack grabbed Ianto’s hand and crushed their mouths together, soft moans of pleasure escaping the Welshman as he was kissed into oblivion before Jack led him down the ladder and proceeded to worship his body until they were both panting through the warmth of the afterglow...

After an enjoyable shower, Ianto returned to the kitchen where he made a flask of coffee and filled a backpack with the picnic items he’d bought, before returning to Jack’s office and holding out his hand... “Come on...”

“Where we going?”

“Picnic...we’re memory making, yeah?” He shoved aside the memory making for when I’m dead thoughts that rushed unbidden into his head, holding out Jack’s coat for him to slip into, smoothing the heavy fabric over his shoulders, “...I really love this coat...” he murmured against his Captain’s ear, sending trails of goosebumps over his flesh and a twitch to his groin...

They walked down to the SUV. Jack transferred the rift alert to his wrist strap and Ianto climbed into the driver’s seat, heading out of Cardiff towards the perfect spot he had in mind. They parked at the bottom of the hill and set out on foot, Ianto had the picnic blanket, Jack had the backpack as they panted their way up the incline. As they reached the top Ianto turned, “...what do you think?”

The view was magnificent, the city spread out below them... “Wow! That’s some view..!”

“Yeah...” Jack turned at the tone to see Ianto gazing at him with desire filled eyes and he pulled the young man into his arms, kissing him softly… how did I let him get so far under my skin? How am I ever gonna let him go..? He tightened his hold and deepened the kiss, plundering his mouth as Ianto surrendered his grip on reality and lost himself completely in the sensations of Jack’s lips against his..

Stumbling backwards, Jack pulled away, “...rug...floor...these...” he tugged at their clothing, “...off!”

Moving back under the shade of a giant Oak tree, Ianto spread the rug out on the ground as Jack attacked the buttons of the young man’s waistcoat and shirt, pulling them open so he could run his fingers through the soft downy hair on his chest. They sank to the floor as kiss followed kiss and each emotion-charged touch brought them closer to paradise...

They lay tangled and breathless, the breeze gusting over their heated skin. Jack dropped a light kiss to the tip of Ianto’s nose, “...you ok?”

“Mmnn...” was the most coherent thing that emerged from the young man’s mouth as he struggled to force air back into his lungs after some particularly innovative moves from his Captain. He shivered a little as the wind tugged at his hair.

“Cold..?” Jack was attentive, “...here...” he held his coat out for Ianto to slip into and folded it round him, tugging on his own t-shirt and shirt before sitting back down with his back to the tree trunk and pulling the young man back to the floor to lean back against him as he wrapped him into his arms.

Ianto sighed happily as he leant back, content in his Captain’s embrace...this would make a wonderful memory...he stretched his toes out to snag his trousers and inched them towards him, finally retrieving his phone from the pocket, where he opened the camera and took several shots of them before dropping the phone as his lips were claimed softly...tenderly...lovingly...how can I imagine leaving all this..?

The rumbling of Jack’s stomach reminded them of their picnic and Ianto pulled the food and drink out of the bag while Jack pulled the rest of his clothes back on. They sat and munched contentedly, Jack snapping several more pictures of his Welshman wrapped in the coat, plus some of them both with the view of the city in the background... Finally, full of ciabatta and Italian cheese and chewy chocolate brownie, they leant against each other as Jack told some more stories of his adventures with Stella during the winter of 1978, including the tale of a Yeti-type footprint mystery that turned out to be a local reporter trying to find out who or what they were...until he was retconned back to his teenage years! 

Jack’s wrist strap beeped as they were finishing their second cup of coffee. He flipped it open and checked the readings. “Looks like a couple of weevils...” he sighed wistfully, “...sorry, Yan, we gotta go back to work...” He tugged the young man to his feet and folded him into a hug, pressing their lips together lightly, “I’ve really enjoyed this...we’ve made some happy memories today...” how can I ever let him go? I love him...

Ianto smiled softly, “Thank you, cariad...” There’s no way I’m dying just yet...I need more days like this... He scrambled into his clothes as Jack threw the remnants of the picnic back into the pack and rolled up the rug. He held his hand out, entwining their fingers as Ianto took hold, and glanced around at the idyllic setting.

“This would be the perfect spot to bury the time capsule...”

They hurried back to the SUV and set off in pursuit of the weevils...it was all in a day’s work at Torchwood...

Chapter 6 http://zazajb.livejournal.com/22739.html

All the time we have 6/8 + epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

 

All the time we have 6/8 + epilogue

Chapter 6

Gwen was at her workstation sipping a cup of tea when they arrived back at the hub. She raised her eyebrows at their dishevelled appearance, “good lunch..?”

“It was ‘till the weevils...” Ianto snapped as he headed down to autopsy, Jack closely behind him. Ianto rummaged in the medicine store, opening a pot to tip a couple of Owen’s cure-all-ills industrial strength pain killers into his hand, swallowing them dry before shoving the pot back and slamming the door.

Jack surveyed him thoughtfully. “Sit!” he ordered, pushing the young man towards the autopsy table.

“I’m fine, Jack...stop fussing...”

“That wasn’t a request..!” as he picked him up and plonked him heavily on the table. “Now, don’t move...” he turned to the sink to fill a small bowl with warm water. Placing the bowl on the table, he eased Ianto’s jacket off, folding it neatly and placing it to one side. Next he loosened the torn and tattered tie and undid the top two buttons of the Welshman’s deep blue shirt this shirt brings out the colour of his eyes...

With a soft muslin cloth, Jack washed the blood and dirt off Ianto’s face and neck before replacing the water and moving to stand behind him so he could clean the wound to his head. It wasn’t serious, but bad enough that Owen would probably have stuck a couple of stitches in it...Miss you Owen...Tosh...I could’ve lost Ianto today...

He dabbed gently at the wound, frowning as the young man hissed in pain. “You ok..?”

“Yes, Jack...I told you – I’m fine...” he sighed wearily, the buoyant mood of lunch had long since evaporated. I could’ve died out there today...I don’t want to die from a fucking weevil bite...I don’t want to die...I don’t want to leave him...Jack...

“Hey...” Jack’s tone was softer. He moved back to face Ianto, wriggling into the gap between his knees and sliding his arms around the Welshman’s waist, tugging him closer. Ianto resisted briefly, before sinking into the reassuring warmth of the embrace, his arms winding round Jack’s neck as he buried his face in the older man’s hair.

“Sorry...” Ianto mumbled.

“Yeah...just be careful out there...you’re far too precious to lose to a bloody weevil...” I almost lost him...I can’t lose someone else...him...can’t...Ianto... “...how’s the pain now..?”

“...better...Owen’s wonder pills...”

“Yeah...”

They fell silent, each following their own train of thoughts as they remembered the acerbic medic, the near-miss of this latest encounter with a pair of particularly large and vicious weevils reminding them all too clearly how fragile human life was...how easy it would be to slip up...to die...Jack would always come back but Ianto was mortal...I can’t lose him...

Jack pulled back gently and moved to cup Ianto’s face, noting it was paler than usual, before capturing his lips... softly at first, until the realisation of how perilous the situation had been kicked in and he deepened the kiss, plundering the young man’s mouth hungrily, desperately... I can’t lose him...

They broke apart, gasping, when they ran out of air and rested their foreheads together, eyes closed, drawing comfort from their physical closeness without the need for words.

Long minutes passed and Ianto shivered, goose bumps creeping over his skin as a touch of delayed shock caught up with him. He grimaced - he should be used to all this by now – and forced himself to pull away from Jack’s embrace. He gave his Captain a tiny smile and brushed their lips together lightly, before sliding off the table.

“I’m going to take a shower...I need to get rid of the ‘eau-de-weevil’ and my clothes are filthy...” he touched Jack’s cheek in response to the quizzical eyebrow, “...and yes, really, I’m fine...” He kissed him softly and headed back up the steps towards the office.

Jack leant against the autopsy table and sighed, why is life so bloody complicated? He shook his head, knowing there was no answer to that and followed in Ianto’s wake. Shrugging out of his coat he hung it up and dropped into his chair, opening his Ianto files and clicking on a random recording...it was the one of them enjoying a steamy kissing session on the slab of the invisible lift up on the Plass. He remembered that day, a huge grin spread across his face and he leant back in his chair...

“Jack...you got a second..?” Gwen interrupted his delicious reminiscing...

“Er, not right now...give me fifteen minutes?” he turned his attention back to the screen without waiting to see if she’d complied.

Gwen had, returning moodily to her desk. It was all Ianto these days...she bit her lip, hearing those sounds again in her head. Angry at how easily it riled her, she attacked her keyboard and attempted to bury herself in Tosh’s rift program... However, she couldn’t stop herself from frequent glances up to the office...even from down here she could see his broad grin, gorgeous broad grin and hear him chuckle. She looked at her watch, was it fifteen minutes yet?

Deciding that it was, she got to her feet as Ianto appeared in the office. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt and was rubbing his head gingerly with a towel. As she watched, Jack got up, tugged the Welshman into his arms and kissed him...a soft and tender kiss... Releasing him, he sat back down, pulling Ianto onto his lap and they looked at something on the screen together, laughing with abandon...

Ianto looked down at his fingers interlaced with Jack’s, the warmth and feel of his hand stirring all sorts of thoughts he would usually associate with how giggling teenage girls discussed their latest boyfriends! He grinned, suffice to say, he liked it... He watched the two of them on the slab on the monitor, kissing passionately in full view of the world...except of course, no-one could see them! He remembered that day – Jack had taken him out to buy a new suit which had ended up being eight Bespoke, with shirts, ties and shoes and a couple of rather fun blow jobs in the fitting room after they’d taken some rather unconventional measurements...oh, yeah, measuring tapes never lie! They laughed loudly, recalling how close they’d come to being caught with their pants down – literally!

Ianto turned his head and his lips met Jack’s, softly and sweetly as they gave themselves to the moment. Breaking apart, Ianto stood and stretched carefully, his muscles stiff from rolling around on the ground with the weevil. “Coffee?”

“Please...I’ll find some more for us to look at...”

 “I thought you were transferring them...”

“Done that...in the tin already with the toy dragon and the photos so far...” He looked up as Ianto grinned fondly at him. “Nice t-shirt by the way – what’s Blue Gillespie?”

“Not ‘what’...who – Welsh rock band...they’re good...lead singer’s hot...lovely eyes...nice arse...you’d like him!” chuckling as Jack pouted.

“Thought you were making coffee..!”

Still smirking, Ianto headed for the kitchen, swinging his hips as he walked, knowing Jack’s eyes would be fixed on his rear until he was out of sight. He felt better now, his headache had gone and now he was in clean clothes again it was just another bump in the road that was life at Torchwood. He began sorting out beans...hazelnut roast for a change...

Gwen had seized her chance and had shot into Jack’s office as soon as Ianto was out of sight, losing no time in telling him about Tosh’s messages and the progress she was making with the program, as she leant against his desk rather than sitting in the chair.

“That’s good work, Gwen... Yea, Ianto told me about Tosh’s messages – that’s so like her to look out for us... God, I miss her...and Owen...we all do...I know Ianto’s found this all really hard...” he sighed heavily.

“I wanted to talk to you about Ianto...” Gwen found herself blurting out, telling herself this had nothing to do with any envy on her part – no, this was concern for a colleague...a friend...

“What about him?” Jack’s eyes immediately looked anxious...worried...panicked even...

“He’s been really, er...unstable since that business with the phones – moody, biting my head off one minute, crying the next...” she knew she was misrepresenting the circumstances of these rapid mood changes, but it was too late to back out now...she had his full attention... She put her hand over his and leant forward...as Ianto came out of the kitchen with the tray of coffee and a plate of fondant fancies.

He stopped dead as he watched Gwen’s hand stroke gently over Jack’s...His heart thudded heavily in his chest and he bit down hard on his bottom lip as he attempted to quash the green-eyed monster that burst out of captivity... What was she doing touching him? What were they talking about? Why wasn’t she sat in the chair instead of leaning on the desk – that was his place... His hands trembled as ‘rational Ianto’ squared up to ‘jealous Ianto’...

Rational thought dictated that there were many subjects on which to discourse, especially over recent months, where a gentle touch could demonstrate understanding and sympathy...the loss of their friends and colleagues still so raw and painful. Jack could have called Gwen in to discuss the programs she was working on and the conversation would naturally lead to mentions of Tosh and Owen – Jack had been so strong but he felt their loss acutely...see – all perfectly innocent... explainable...

On the other hand...Gwen had always wanted Jack and she’d been off with Ianto for days now, especially since hearing them in Jack’s office...she’d waited until Ianto was out of the way before going in to talk to him...no doubt those huge doe eyes were glistening with tears...she knew her weapons and used them to their utmost advantage...he’d always known she was ‘competition’ for Jack’s affections...what was it about her?

He bit his lip again, harder this time, and gripped the tray hard so his knuckles turned white, rational thought imploring him to remain calm...the rumbling uncertainty that was gnawing gleefully in his gut urging him to charge in there and grab his Captain’s hand away from hers... A compromise was required... His face set to ‘calm and controlled’, he walked briskly to the office and went in, his eyes immediately focused on Jack’s guilty look as he snatched his hand away from under Gwen’s...the knife in his belly twisted...

He looked away from those too beautiful blue grey eyes as Jack attempted a smile, leaning across Gwen to place the mug on Jack’s coaster, making sure his arm brushed against the older man’s, the warmth of the touch sending involuntary shivers through him... Jack... He turned to Gwen, his face impassive as he handed over her mug, before placing the plate of cakes between them.

He took his own mug and the tray to the corner of the office, turning his back on them. He opened the cupboard to get out the clothes brush, reaching for Jack’s coat and proceeded to brush it with precise, controlled strokes...on auto-pilot as his mind continued to wage war...the green-eyed army currently had the lead... 

Gwen sipped her coffee. She was satisfied she’d made her point and there was a definite atmosphere in the room. She touched Jack’s arm and leant forward, “...you know where I am...if you need me...” Picking up a strawberry Fondant Fancy from the plate, she returned to her workstation.

Jack was watching Ianto, noting the too-carefully controlled brush strokes. Ianto was not happy...

“Yan..? Leave that...come and sit with me...”

“Oh, sorry, did I interrupt your cosy tête-à-tête with Gwen..? You should’ve said...I could’ve done this later...” he knew he sounded petulant but was unable to stop himself. He blinked back the tears that invaded his eyes and continued to brush...slow...controlled...

Jack sighed imperceptibly. He knew what this was and he cursed Gwen and her ability to rile the young man with her deliberate use of womanly wiles. In some ways it was like sibling rivalry...in other, much more grown-up ways, it was far more complicated. Gwen was a way of keeping Jack grounded – in this place, this time – she reminded him why they did what they did...faced the dangers they faced... Ianto was precious to him...becoming more precious by the day and Jack was terrified that he would lose him… I almost lost him today... and sometimes he needed to focus on Gwen to stop him from locking his Welshman away...when his need to keep the young man safe from harm threatened to stop him doing his job properly… I can’t lose him...

“Ianto...please...”  

“Is there something you want...sir?” Fuck, Jack, you can’t just keep going from one to the other, I can’t do this...

“Talk to me, Ianto...please... Gwen’s worried about you... I’m worried about you... You’re upset...”

The tidal wave of emotions that had been building surged forward and overpowered the dam... “Upset? Just upset? Over the past year I’ve seen one of my friends die, get brought back to life again before battling with death itself, seen the city blown up by your revenge-obsessed brother, watched another very close friend die in your arms, discovered that the undead dead friend had been irradiated and is now really dead, seen my immortal lover, whom I love more than life itself - but please don’t tell him - fall into a trance after a phone call, met one of his past lovers who was special enough to keep all her memories, and who actually is a very lovely and special lady... and then today I was once again reminded how terribly mortal and weak I am when I almost died because a stinking weevil of all things tried to rip my throat out...so yes, Jack, I am a bit messed up at the moment...

He paused to draw in a shaky breath and then found he had nothing left to say, so he gazed at his shoes and waited for the exasperated shouts that would no doubt follow from his Captain...his boss...his Jack... 

Silence. He looked up. Jack was staring at him, tears coursing down his cheeks. He looked broken... Ianto gulped. “Jack...” he whispered, taking a step towards him...

“Ianto...” was all Jack managed to get out before they were in each other’s arms holding, kissing, grasping, nipping...pure and raw emotion...it wasn’t even about sexual desire – it went deeper than that – they needed to be as close as humanly possible...skin to skin...to touch...to feel...to feel alive...

Gwen had smiled quietly when the shouting started. When the quiet came and she looked up to see them in each other’s arms her eyes filled with tears and she wasn’t entirely sure if she was pleased for them or not...she hoped she was... Logging off her computer, she picked up her bag and left. Her husband would be waiting at home...

In Jack’s office the only sounds now were pants and gasps as they writhed frantically in each other’s arms. Ianto pulled his mouth away from Jack’s long enough to growl one word “...bed!” before they threw themselves down the ladder to the bunker below to continue where they’d left off. It was rough and primal and they howled their release before scrambling, panting hard, under the covers to press themselves together before falling into an exhausted sleep.

Jack woke in the early hours of the morning, propping himself up to gaze at the sleeping man beside him. He looked so young and vulnerable, his face pale with visible signs of his tussle with the weevil that had so nearly seen his demise. It made Jack’s heart ache to consider a time when he wouldn’t have Ianto with him and if he was honest with himself – not a good idea – it scared the fucking life out of him... I can’t lose him...

Very carefully, he slid out of the Welshman’s hold and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. He dressed swiftly and climbed up the ladder. He needed a rooftop...

When Ianto woke an hour later to find himself alone, he knew instinctively where he’d find his Captain. He dressed, made a flask of coffee and dragged the picnic blanket out from the bag. Ten minutes later he was walking tentatively towards the man he loved with his entire being… I don’t ever want to leave him...

Jack turned from his contemplation of his view over the city. “You found me..!”

“I know you..!”

“You do...too well!” he folded Ianto into his arms and kissed him tenderly, a soft, lingering kiss that asked for – and received – forgiveness on both sides...nothing about their lives, or relationship, would ever be simple or conventional...

The kiss deepened as their tongues duelled for supremacy, Jack urging them to the floor where they sank to their knees... “...wait..!” Ianto panted breathlessly, shrugging the pack off his back. He dug into it and pulled out the blanket, spreading it on the floor before tugging Jack down with him and they lost themselves in never-ending hot, wet kisses...hands raking over clothing and sliding beneath the fabric to explore the warm flesh below.

Their love making was slow and sensual, the chill of the night air contrasting starkly with the heat of their skin, every touch sparking new bursts of flame as they crept inexorably towards the bliss of climax. Ianto arched his body as wave after wave of pleasure washed over him and left him trembling, the welcome weight and warmth of Jack’s body as he slumped on top of him, breathless and tingling, only deepened his satisfaction...

It was too cold to linger in their semi-naked state – both had retained their t-shirts – so they dressed and cuddled up together in Jack’s coat with the blanket wrapped around them as they sipped their coffee. The sky was beginning to lighten in the east as Cardiff prepared for a new day. The two men sat and watched the sunrise, secure in the knowledge that another unforgettable memory had been forged. They leant against each other as the sky turned through breath-taking shades of orange and pink and gold, kissing softly, the city coming to life around them as life moved on...

Chapter 7 http://zazajb.livejournal.com/22849.html

All the time we have 7/8 + epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

 

All the time we have 7/8 + epilogue

Chapter 7

The sun had begun its gentle climb into the sky when they made their way off the roof and back to the hub, heading straight to the shower to warm their chilled bones. Emerging warm and glowing, Ianto reached into the wardrobe to pull out the spare suit he kept there, laying it out on the bed whilst he selected a tie. He sighed softly.

“What’s up?” a naked Jack slid his arms round the young man’s waist and nuzzled into his damp hair.

“That weevil ruined my favourite red tie yesterday...” Ianto huffed, “I really liked that one...”

“We’ll buy you a new one...today...” he nibbled lightly on Ianto’s neck, causing a cascade of delicious shivers to run down the Welshman’s spine... “In fact...hang on...” releasing his hold and turning round to dig his mobile out of his trousers pocket from their place of abandonment on the floor. He tapped out a quick message and pressed ‘send’ before dropping the phone on the bed.

“Right, I’ve just given Gwen the day off so we can have the whole day together without any female... um... distractions..! We’re going out for breakfast, then shopping, then...no idea after that! Make it up as we go along!” He picked up Ianto’s suit and hung it back in the wardrobe. “Wear those jeans and that Blue Gilly-thing t-shirt again...please?”

“The same t-shirt as earlier? It’ll be dirty now...”

Jack tugged the young man back into his arms and mumbled into his shoulder, “I want to put that t-shirt in the time capsule so everything will smell of you when I open it...so you need to wear it...” he kissed his neck softly, a whispered “...please...” melting away any protest Ianto had been planning.

He moved his head to capture his Captain’s lips, his fingers sliding through his hair, knowing how much Jack loved him to do that...the kiss sweet and tender as he lost himself in the knee-melting sensations of Jack’s mouth warm and responsive against his...

They pulled apart to draw breath, smiling softly into each other’s eyes, Ianto stepping back regretfully to reach for his underwear and jeans. He would willingly stay and kiss Jack all day...and all night...but that wouldn’t get them breakfast and he was hungry!

Once they were dressed, Ianto pulled his battered denim jacket out of the wardrobe and followed Jack up the ladder. They took the scenic route out on the invisible lift because Jack wanted to recreate the CCTV clip they’d watched, Ianto melting quite happily into his arms to be completely and thoroughly kissed until his head spun and his knees were weak... Releasing him, Jack entwined their fingers and tugged him off the slab towards their favourite breakfast and coffee bar.

They chose warm brioche and a cinnamon roast coffee, laughing as they fed each other, taking random pictures on their phones, a smiling waitress taking several of the two of them... It was relaxed and intimate and Ianto found himself falling in love with his Captain all over again...he’d never been so open...so untroubled...so...

He jumped as Jack planted a kiss on his nose, “...you’re thinking too much, Mr Jones, I can tell when you furrow your brow and you get that far-away look in those big blue eyes...what’re you thinking about?”

“You..!”

“Oh! That’s ok then!” he grinned. “Drink up...we’ve got shopping to do!”

Ianto quickly finished his coffee and took Jack’s outstretched hand, grinning inanely as the older man carefully entwined their fingers before tugging him towards the door. They strolled around the shops, peering into windows and shoving each other good naturedly. They stopped outside Sartoriani.

“I love this place...it’s one of the few places I know where I can really spoil you...” Jack leant in for a soft kiss.

“We’re here to replace a tie...a red silk tie...no Pretty Woman scenes today...ok?” Ianto grinned as Jack pouted. “Ok, two ties – one to wear and one to play with...” He chuckled as Jack’s pout vanished to be replaced with a knowing smile and he was dragged into the shop.

They were greeted by Mr Ellis, the owner and master tailor. Ianto headed for the display of ties whilst Jack wandered around casually until he saw that Ianto was immersed in his mission, numerous different shades of red draped over his arm... Jack sought out Mr Ellis and a swift conversation resulted in six new shirts in the Swiss cotton Ianto favoured being piled up on the table, colours ranging from the cobalt blue of Ianto’s eyes to a deep purple that Jack just had to see Ianto in... Adding a new white dress shirt for himself – it was high time he took Ianto out for a fancy dinner at St David’s - Jack handed over his credit card and waited for his Welshman to complete his choice.

It was another ten minutes before Ianto joined Jack at the desk, three shades of red still over his arm, “this one definitely, and one of these two...” he gazed absently at the pile of shirts, his eyebrows rising as Jack gathered all three ties and handed them to Mr Ellis for scanning, “we’ll take these as well, please...”

“Jack..?” he rolled his eyes.

His Captain grinned, “...saw these and couldn’t resist...” he held the purple one up against the young man’s body, nodding his approval at his own choice, gorgeous...just gorgeous...I’m going to enjoy taking that off him... He took the ties back from Mr Ellis and slipped them into his pocket, smiling as he received his card and receipt.

“I’ll have these sent to the Tourist Office in the morning as requested...” Mr Ellis said, smiling at the two men in front of him. It was obvious the older man enjoyed the pleasure from surprising his companion and it was gratifying to know his fine tailoring was so appreciated...and worn so well... He shook hands with them both as they left, the young man’s eyes sparkling delightedly...

Outside the shop, Jack pulled the ties from his pocket and studied them. He held up a deep red one. “This’ll look wonderful with that purple shirt...” he murmured as he cupped Ianto’s face and captured those wonderfully soft lips, relishing the feel of them under his own. He pulled the young man closer, breaking away from the kiss to just hold him tightly.

Ianto smiled happily, his face buried in Jack’s hair...these times together were rare and precious and he treasured every moment...

“Right...what’s next?” Jack released him and reached for his hand again as they walked back towards the main shopping centre.

“I need a birthday card for Mica, my niece...” Ianto tugged Jack into a huge card shop. Jack amused himself with an endless array of ‘rude’ cards while Ianto went off to find the age section. He selected one and walked to the till to pay, standing in line behind an elderly lady whilst the shop assistant explained how a ‘record-your-own-message’ card worked to a young couple at the front of the queue. Ianto peered round the pensioner’s white, set curls to see what the card looked like. His face lit up, Jack wasn’t the only one who could spring a surprise. He left the queue and went in search of said card. He grinned happily as he paid for the two items, his mind drifting as he pondered on his message...

He pocketed his change and went in search of Jack who was still chuckling his way through the ‘funny’ section.

“Done?” he asked as Ianto slid a hand under his coat to squeeze his arse cheekily.

“Mnn...” Ianto nodded, holding up the paper bag with his purchases in.

Jack glanced at his watch. “Nearly eleven...coffee time...C’mon...”

Ianto shook his head, amused. He loved seeing Jack so carefree...so normal... He dismissed the word immediately – Jack was many things and that wasn’t one of them! His heart swelled as a rush of emotion shot through him I love him...I’ll always love him... Ok, that solved the problem of what message to record in his card...

Jack stopped outside the bakers. “You get the coffee, I’ll get the pastries...meet back in ten, ok?”

Ianto dug his hand into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out his trusty stopwatch, grinning as he pressed the button on the top, “...that’s ten minutes and counting...” he said throatily, knowing that Jack was recalling exactly the same memory, the huge smile that spread across his Captain’s face confirming that fact.     

 Ianto spun on his heel and headed for the coffee shop, rubbing his thumb absently over the surface of the metal casing as his mind replayed those first forays into the many things one could do with a stopwatch and a bit of imagination...

They were both back in under ten minutes!

“This way...” Jack strode ahead, his coat billowing behind him. They found a bench down by the side of the duck pond and sat down. Jack dug into his carrier bag and handed Ianto a large sticky apple Danish before pulling out a second one for himself and then taking his coffee from the cardboard carry tray on the seat between them. The sound of mumbled appreciation of the sweet and sticky pastries floated on the air as they savoured the taste.

Ianto sighed happily, “...mmnn, that was lovely...did you pick up any napkins?”

“No, sorry...forgot!”

“Sticky fingers...” Ianto wiggled his fingers in the air, a startled gasp escaping his lips as Jack grabbed his hand and proceeded to suck his fingers clean one by one, becoming more and more provocative as each successive finger was released with a loud ‘pop’. By the time Jack was on the little finger of his second hand Ianto was wriggling on the seat, his body very attentive and craving far more than was decent in a public park in daylight!

He glanced at Jack’s face, then down at other parts, noting a similar reaction. He slid his finger out of the warmth of Jack’s mouth and pressed their lips together, pulling his Captain into a tight embrace as he kissed him hard. Jack’s arms slid around his Welshman’s neck as their tongues duelled for supremacy and shivers of desire ran through their bodies... 

They pulled apart when they ran out of air, hair dishevelled, faces flushed... Ianto straightened his t-shirt with trembling hands and breathed in deeply in an attempt to regain some control over his wayward body. Panting equally hard, Jack snapped a quick picture on his phone...Ianto looked edible and if they weren’t currently in the middle of the park...

With due deference to their surroundings, they sat and got their breath back before Jack delved into his carrier bag to bring out a loaf of bread, setting it on the bench. He leant down to untie his laces and slipped off his boots and socks, rolling his trousers up to his knees. Ianto watched these proceedings with his mouth slightly open, not daring to ask what inane act was to follow...well, that was until his shoes and socks were also removed and his trousers received the same treatment as Jack’s.

Tugging the Welshman to his feet, Jack opened the loaf and pulled out a dozen slices, handing half to the young man before stepping into the pond and wading out, the ducks scattering until he started breaking up the bread and throwing it all around him. Soon he was surrounded by ducks and a couple of elegant, but fierce-looking swans. “Come on...this is fun...bring the rest of the bread...”

Ianto grinned. Why the hell not! He stepped into the water gingerly. It was cold, but not that cold, although he didn’t want to even think about what he might be treading on..! The ducks paddled furiously out of his way, returning when he began throwing his bread. His face relaxed and he laughed with abandon when Jack broke a slice into small pieces and dropped it onto the swans’ backs, the ducks bravely darting in to peck the bread from the creatures’ backs before swimming away madly...

Seeing Ianto so free from worry or responsibility made Jack’s heart sing...he was doing this...putting that smile on his lover’s face...his lover...partner...yea...I want that...the couple thing...

Jack snuck his phone out of his pocket and took some more pictures, grabbing Ianto to him to take one of them nose-to-nose and then lips pressed together... They ran out of bread and waded back to the path, jumping up and down on the grass to both warm and dry their feet before collapsing in a giggling heap behind the bench.

“You’re mad, d’you know that?” Ianto gasped breathlessly, helpless with laughter.

“...yeah...about you...” Jack whispered as he gazed into his eyes and grabbed him, crushing their mouths together, his hands reaching to tug the t-shirt out from the young man’s jeans, needing to touch skin-to-skin...

Ianto melted into the embrace, kissing back hungrily, his heart pounding wildly in his chest and his stomach performing a series of back flips that would score straight tens in the Olympics! He shuddered as Jack’s hands roamed over his skin, bursts of fire erupting from every touch which all migrated straight to his groin. He moaned softly and pulled away... “Hub...now...” he rasped, reaching for his shoes and socks and scrabbling hurriedly at his still rolled-up trousers.

Jack did likewise before standing and holding out his hand. Ianto grabbed it and they walked purposefully towards the park gates, fingers entwining, stroking, squeezing...promises of sensual touches to come...

As soon as they were stood on the invisible lift ,which Jack activated with his wrist strap, they reached for each other, kissing hard and passionately as hands groped at clothing and they were partially undressed by the time the lift came to a stop. Staggering to Jack’s office they threw themselves down the ladder, shedding their clothes as they went to fall naked onto the bunk, each writhing against the other as desire raged through them. It was hard and fast and left them in a panting and tangled heap as their bodies trembled through the bliss of their release.

Jack lifted the covers and urged Ianto under them, reaching first for the Blue Gillespie t-shirt which the Welshman pulled over his head, before they snuggled up together, arms entwined, kissing softly until they drifted into a sated sleep...

Chapter 8 http://zazajb.livejournal.com/23212.html

All the time we have 8/8 + epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

 

All the time we have 8/8 + epilogue

Chapter 8

When Ianto woke two hours later it was with a huge smile on his face. He lay still, listening to Jack’s rhythmic breathing as it tickled the side of his neck, the heavy weight of the older man’s arm draped around his waist was warm and comforting. I love him...I want to stay with him for ever...here, in this bed...he closed his eyes again, comfortably drowsy... Somewhere, out of sight, his phone beeped a text message alert. His eyes opened and he frowned, wondering...he didn’t get many messages apart from those from Jack...

His curiosity piqued and he slid carefully out of bed, smiling down fondly at the sleeping man as he stirred and his arms closed around the pillow Ianto had moved in place of his own body. Satisfied that Jack was still sleeping, Ianto followed the trail of clothes in search of his trousers, which he found at the top of the ladder.

His message was from Rhi, reminding him of Mica’s birthday party to which he, plus one, was cordially invited...the sarcastic “it would be good to see you before next Christmas!” drawing a grunt and a roll of his eyes. He tapped out a reply, “...do my best – depends on work. Hope all well. I x” and pressed send, knowing the response that would prompt when it was received at the other end. He sighed, Rhi and he were just totally different people...and she’d ask way too many probing questions that he’d find impossible to answer...

His mind drifted and he imagined himself arriving with Jack, introducing him as his boyfriend... He bit his lip...was that what they were now? Were they a couple? Jack never really said anything like that...they just were...whatever it was, they were... He shrugged and slid quietly back down the ladder before going to the bathroom. After splashing his face and cleaning his teeth, he surveyed his reflection in the mirror. His hair was mussed, lips pink and swollen from all Jack’s delicious kisses, his neck was peppered with purple bruises and he had that ‘thoroughly well-shagged’ look that shone out of his eyes...I love him so much...

Remembering Mica’s card, he climbed back up the ladder. Jack was still asleep, a smile on his lips as he cuddled into the pillow... Ianto found his jacket by the invisible lift and pulled out the bag with the cards in it, heading to the kitchen where he planned to put some coffee on and record his message for Jack.

The coffee was soon brewing. He wrote in Mica’s card and put it in the envelope which he left unsealed so he could put some money in it. Then he studied the card for Jack. He’d chosen one that just said ‘A message for you...’ on the front with a picture of a puppy and an envelope. Following the printed instructions carefully, he recorded his message and then opened the card to check it. “Jack Harkness – I love you today, tomorrow and for all eternity...” played out clearly, his Welsh accent very evident, the whispered, “...I love you...” after a minute pause brought tears to his eyes as he remembered Jack would be listening to the message after Ianto had died. I don’t want to die...don’t want to leave him...

He shuddered and blinked back the tears. With any luck they could dig the capsule up in ten years time and update it...much better idea..! He picked up the pen and considered what to write, tapping the end of the pen thoughtfully against his lips... Something simple would be best... Jack, Yours...always... Ianto xxx He closed the card quickly and put it in the envelope, sliding the flap closed without sealing it.

Pouring the coffee, he picked up the mugs and the cards and headed back to the office. He propped Mica’s card up on the inkstand on Jack’s desk and slid the message card under the photos in the tin box, closing the lid quietly before climbing back down the ladder with their coffee, which he landed on the bedside cabinet. Jack was stirring, his sleepy eyes fluttering open to meet the radiant crystal blue gaze of his Welshman’s.

“Hey...sleep well?”

“Yeah...guess you wore me out!”

Ianto perched on the edge of the small bed and leant down to kiss his Captain lightly, tiny kisses that brushed lovingly against soft and sensual lips... Jack’s arms snaked around Ianto’s neck and pulled him closer as the kiss deepened and he opened his mouth to let Jack’s tongue in, where it explored the familiar territory possessively. Ianto let out a soft moan and moved his body to stretch out along the bed as their hands ran over each other’s warm flesh...

Ianto floated on the stars as Jack made love to him, tenderly, reverently...worshipping his body like it was the first time all over again until he was engulfed in wave after wave of glorious pleasure and he was powerless to stop the tears that spilled down his cheeks from the intensity of the emotions that coursed through him. Cupping his young lover’s cheeks, Jack brushed the tears away with his thumbs, pressing feather light kisses to his skin before holding him tightly as they buried their faces in each other’s hair...no words...just pure feelings...

They showered, washing each other tenderly, before dressing. Ianto pulled his Blue Gillespie t-shirt back on, stroking it gently over his torso as he tucked it into his jeans. It was strangely comforting to know that Jack would be able to hold this after he was gone...a little bit of him that would linger on...

They spent the next couple of hours printing out the pictures they’d taken, including an older one taken at Little Goat Farm in the hay loft, and some stills from the ‘Ianto files’ as Jack liked to call them... There were so many files – Ianto sat on Jack’s lap and they clicked on them at random...some were funny, some were downright hot and steamy and others were just him...doing what he did...handing out coffee, feeding Myfanwy, working on his computer...reassuring every day images...

“What’s this one?” Ianto pointed to a file called ‘Double Dare Bare”.

“Let’s have a look?” Jack chuckled, this was one of his favourites, showing a fun and carefree Ianto after a long and stressful day... He clicked ‘play’.

The recording jumped straight into a steamy clinch in Jack’s office with Jack’s hands clenched tightly by his sides... As they watched those hands suddenly moved to frame Ianto’s face as he was kissed passionately. When they pulled apart Ianto was grinning as he checked the stopwatch in his hand, Jack shaking his head before stripping his clothes off and heading to the invisible lift.

Once topside he stood and shivered as people walked past, oblivious to the naked man until a rather attractive brunette approached and Jack stepped off the slab, said “Good evening, you’re looking very lovely tonight!” and hopped back onto the slab to descend once more into the hub, where he was greeted with his clothes and a very amused Welshman. The brunette had giggled and then looked around bemused as the naked man had vanished. She’d glanced around her self-consciously before walking on...

Back in the hub, Jack had dressed and they’d sunk straight back into hot, wet kisses, only this time it was Ianto’s hands clenched by his sides, his slender fingers curling and uncurling as he resisted the urge to touch or respond while his Captain plundered his soft mouth...

Jack chuckled as the Ianto on his lap clenched his hands along with his screen self... ”...you know I’m going to win, don’t you..?” he purred seductively into his ear, pressing light kisses down the side of the young man’s neck as the on-screen Ianto folded and gave in to temptation, grabbing at his Jack and raking his hands wildly over his body and through his hair...

Ianto grinned ruefully, “...you know I can’t resist when you do that thing with your tongue...”

They watched as Ianto carefully removed his clothing and took the ‘Guide to Cardiff’ leaflet that Jack held out before ascending on the lift to take his turn shivering on the slab, finally stepping off to wish a middle aged couple a “very pleasant evening and how might I direct you tonight?” as he handed them the flyer and stepped back out of sight, his face pink, but grinning as he watched his Jack rolling around on the floor helpless with laughter as the lift brought him back down into the hub.

The clip ended with a very naked Welshman being thoroughly kissed and led off to the cubbyhole under the office.

Ianto buried his face in Jack’s chest, laughing. “I can’t believe I actually did that..! We must’ve had one hell of a day!”

“We have way too many of them sometimes...” agreed Jack, tipping Ianto’s chin up so he could kiss him. “Now, you hungry? We can get takeout and then put the rest of the capsule together while we wait for it..?”

They chose Chinese, Ianto ordered it and they added the pictures, a bag of favourite coffee beans, a model of a pteranodon that Jack had bought him some time previously and some leaflets from the Tourist Information to the tin. Jack rummaged in his office drawer and brought out a sheaf of post-it notes covered with Ianto’s neat writing, flicking through them fondly as the Welshman gazed at him. “You kept all my notes?” he asked, rather pointlessly, as that was pretty obvious, “...why?”

Jack shrugged, “...dunno really...I guess they’re part of you and I wanted to keep all of you around for as long as I could... I...” his words were cut off as Ianto’s mouth claimed his and he was kissed passionately and enjoyably for long minutes, breaking off briefly to draw breath before sinking back into more sweet and endless kisses. They pulled apart finally when the Tourist Information bell rang. Dinner had arrived. Ianto detached himself regretfully and headed upstairs.

Jack had a flick through the items in the tin whilst Ianto was gone, committing each to his memory... He stopped at the envelope with the card in...this was new... He hesitated, obviously it was something Ianto had put in without telling him, intending him to find it after he’d...after he’d died... The realisation of what this time capsule actually meant shot a bolt through his heart, his head immediately retreated... I can’t lose him...I need him...I love him...

He’d opened the envelope and pulled the card out before his brain had registered what his hands had done – after that it was pointless to resist... He opened it, those wonderful Welsh vowels filling his ears... “Jack Harkness – I love you today, tomorrow and for all eternity...” the whispered, “...I love you...” after a minute pause brought the sob that had stuck in his throat bursting out and he crumpled, clutching the card to him as tears flowed down his face.

Ianto came in balancing plates, two bottles of beer and the bag of Chinese food. Seeing his Captain sat on the floor sobbing, he dropped everything on the desk and sank down beside him, gathering the shaking man into his arms as he rocked them both gently. He threaded his fingers softly through Jack’s hair, dropping light kisses on his head as he whispered words of love and nonsense...

Gradually Jack’s sobs stopped and he clung on tightly, not wanting to let go for fear he’d wake up and Ianto would be gone... “Jack...” Ianto carefully peeled Jack’s fingers away from his arm and tipped his Captain’s head up from where it was buried in his chest, the t-shirt now wet with the older man’s tears...it will certainly smell of us both now... the random thought whizzing through his head.

“Jack...it’s ok...I’m here...”

Slowly Jack met the young man’s gaze, his eyes still shining with tears, his cheeks wet and lips trembling. Ianto pressed a tender kiss to those trembling lips as his hand brushed the tears away. He hugged his Captain tightly before gently removing the card from his hand and placing it back in the envelope. He dropped it back in the box.

“I guess we both know what this box really means...” he whispered as he tightened his hold once more, “ ...but I thought maybe we could plan to dig it up, together, in ten years time...to update it...”

“I’d like that...” Jack mumbled into Ianto’s chest, his breathing slowing as he regained control of his emotions. “I can handle that...better than...than...” I can’t lose him...

“Yeah, I know...” I don’t want to die...don’t want to leave him...

They held each other in silence, each absorbing the meaning of the capsule and vowing to make the absolute most of all the time they had...

It was some time before they moved, belatedly heating up their dinner which they ate sat on the raggedy sofa in the main hub, clinking their beer bottles in a toast “...to us...and long life...” both aware of the duel meaning of the words...

After clearing up the remains of their meal, they took their coffee outside, to the railings by the Tourist Information Office, Ianto leaning into Jack as his arm wrapped around the young man’s waist, keeping him close... Strains of music drifted down from Demiro’s Mediterranean Restaurant on the esplanade above them, the backdrop of happy evening chatter from the patrons floating on the early evening air. Ianto tilted his head, listening...as he recognised the sound of Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’. “Jack...dance with me...” adding a soft “...please...” as the older man hesitated. It’s like he’s saying goodbye...don’t...please don’t...

The expression on Jack’s face was unfathomable as he put their coffee mugs by the door and took Ianto into his arms and they swayed slowly to the heart-wrenchingly beautiful sound of Ms Fitzgerald. ‘Someone...’ was followed by ‘Ev’ry time We Say Goodbye’, ‘Black Coffee’ and by the time ‘Cry Me A River’ had finished they were locked together, kissing like it was the last time they would ever have...

Wordlessly, Jack pulled away and led Ianto back inside. He dumped their mugs on the counter and tugged the ties they’d bought earlier out of his pocket, selected one and shoved the others back. Gazing into the Welshman’s eyes, his unspoken question was answered by the blazing look of love and unconditional trust and the wrists that were offered. Reaching out, Jack slid Ianto’s jacket off his shoulders and folded it neatly on the counter next to the mugs before tying the young man’s hands together and leading him down into the hub, then down to his room.

As they landed from the climb down, Jack pressed Ianto’s arms over his head and tied them to the ladder before reclaiming his lips, his tongue diving into the welcoming mouth where it mapped every contour... He pulled away and attacked his neck, grazing the skin with his teeth before soothing it with his tongue, as he felt the shudders of desire running through the young man.

He continued across his throat and back up the other side of his neck, pausing at the juncture of neck and shoulder to suck the soft skin into his mouth, hard enough to leave a bruise and drawing a low moan of combined pain and pleasure from the pink, kiss-swollen lips of his captive Welshman. He returned to those wonderfully responsive lips and kissed them hard, pressing their bodies together as twin arousals strained against the woefully inadequate friction of their trousers. His hands slid down the young man’s body to tug his t-shirt out from his jeans, gathering the material in his fingers to push it up without removing it...

Ianto’s breath was coming in short gasps and pants as his Captain returned to the exploration of his body, trailing his tongue down through the soft, downy hair on his chest to circle a nipple, teasing the nub of flesh with his teeth before sliding across to give the other side equal attention. Ianto writhed and moaned and thrust against the warm mouth, his head thrown back, eyes closed and lips parted...

He gasped as Jack’s hands moved lower and undid his belt...then the button and finally inched his zip down, pressing against the swelling with the heel of his hand to tease a loud moan from those delicious lips... Jack’s hands explored the heated flesh just inside the waistband of the jeans, his fingers light and the touch sensual, before hooking his thumbs over the fabric on either side and pulling down trousers and boxers together...

Ianto’s groans increased in volume as Jack’s mouth followed his hands southwards and he was engulfed in the moist heat, tongue and teeth going to work on his sensitive flesh... Jack grinned to himself at the carnal sounds emanating from his quiet Welshman, reaching up to offer his fingers for sucking before dancing them back to press against the entrance to Ianto’s body... A mewl escaped the young man as one finger pushed in, followed by a second, brushing that magic spot to set him gasping with pleasure. Jack increased the pressure with his mouth, feeling the telltale signs, finally humming as Ianto exploded in his mouth, crying Jack’s name out as he shuddered through waves of blissful ecstasy...

Jack slid back up the young man’s body to crush their lips together, Ianto tasting himself on his Captain’s tongue. Pulling away, Jack swiftly undid his belt, button and zip, pushing his trousers and underwear down to pool around his ankles, turning his lover round to face the ladder as he groped in his coat pocket for the lube. He warmed it on his hand before coating himself and pushing in slowly, relishing the feel of the tight heat around him. He stilled for a moment, an impatient whimper falling from his Welshman’s lips, before he began moving...finding the familiar rhythm that had them both panting and thrusting together until Jack cried his release and slumped forward, his head resting on Ianto’s back.

As their breathing returned to normal, Jack reached up to release Ianto’s hands from the ladder and turned him back round, the young man immediately sliding his still-tied wrists over his Captain’s head as they kissed tenderly. Finally breaking apart many long minutes later, Jack untied Ianto’s hands and kissed his wrists softly. Then he tugged the t-shirt over his head and climbed up the ladder to place both the t-shirt and the tie into the box, laying the t-shirt at the bottom as a lining and replacing the pictures, toys, memory sticks, card, coffee beans, post-its and the tie on top. He leant down and inhaled the unique scent that was his Welshman, closing his eyes as he closed the lid and sealed the box, before turning to meet the young man’s tear-filled eyes as he watched from half way up the ladder. That’s me...in a box...memories for when I’m dead...

Neither spoke as Jack returned to his room and led them to the shower where they washed and dried each other gently before sliding under the covers to hold each other tightly until they were claimed by sleep.

They woke early the next morning, saying little, both content to hold and touch and kiss...this wasn’t about pleasure but it was about unspoken commitment...about promises...or as close to those things as they were able to go, given the unconventional nature of life...and death...at Torchwood...

At seven o’clock they got up and Ianto made a flask of coffee. He was wearing his favourite navy pinstripe, an aquamarine shirt and his new deep red tie. Somehow it was important for him to look his best today... They loaded the box into the SUV and set off, the radio playing the very appropriate Nat King Cole ‘Unforgettable’... Jack flicked a glance across at Ianto’s pale face, watching as the young man nibbled nervously at his bottom lip...

“We’ll be back...in ten years...” Jack’s voice was quiet...thoughtful...

“Ten years...yeah...” If I’m still alive...

“We’ll dig it up and go through everything and then we’ll add some more to it and bury it again...for another ten years...” I can’t lose him...I can’t live without him...

“Yeah...” The track ended, to be replaced with ‘We have all the time in the world”. Ianto couldn’t help but grin ruefully at the DJ’s choice of songs. He reached his hand over to rest it on Jack’s knee, his Captain covering it with his own and squeezing gently, understanding that for now this was enough...they’d keep doing what they did best – save the world, eat pizza...the usual...

The climb was punishing, the box cumbersome, although not heavy, and they were panting hard when they reached the top, leaning against the oak tree they’d sat under last time. Ianto took the pack off his back and pulled out the two collapsible shovels, unfolding and securing the handles before handing one to Jack. They dug in silence until the hole was big enough and about three feet deep before settling the box in its new resting place and covered it with the displaced earth, treading it down firmly.

When it was done, Jack pulled Ianto into his arms and kissed him tenderly. “We’ll be back in ten years...ok…?” Ianto nodded, unable to speak as he pressed himself against his Captain, the arms around him tightening instinctively as their lips met...softly...what they couldn’t put into words was shown in actions... It was long minutes until they broke apart...

Pouring the coffee, Ianto handed Jack a travel mug and picked up his own. They stood and gazed out over the city, sipping their drinks... Finally, cups emptied and shovels packed away, they headed slowly back down the hill hand in hand...   

Nearing the bottom, Jack’s wrist strap beeped... He looked at Ianto who rolled his eyes and arched an eyebrow... Bloody Torchwood!

Jack grinned, “Hoix in the bus station...you good to go?”

Ianto grinned back, “...always..!” as he broke into a run following Jack’s billowing coat tails. This was their life and it would never change - no matter what personal stuff was going on, it would always be business as usual...

                                                               *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A week later the children stopped...

 

 Epilogue http://zazajb.livejournal.com/23436.html

All the time we have - epilogue

Title: All the time we have
Author: zazajb

Beta: The absolutely wonderful: badly_knitted 

Artwork by: the amazing penny_sieve 
Rating: NC-17, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M

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 Hope you enjoy...xxx

 

 

All the time we have - epilogue

Epilogue

Six months had passed since that day...that horrific day when he’d revived on the floor in Thames House to find Gwen crying over their bodies...Ianto’s body... He was just lying there...in his suit, his perfectly knotted tie still in place...he looked asleep...please let this be a bad dream...a nightmare I can wake up from to find him warm in my arms...but he knew it wasn’t a dream... 

This planet was too small – everywhere he went there was something that reminded him of Ianto – whether it was the crystal blue of the sea by the coral reefs of Australia that was the exact same shade as Ianto’s eyes, or the crisp whiteness of the mountain snow that reminded him of Ianto’s favourite dress shirt...even trying to escape the memories by hiding out in the desert in the pyramids had failed because they’d watched that James Bond film together where Jaws had attacked Bond in the desert... No, he had to get off this tiny world because all these memories were killing him – oh, the bitter irony, seeing as how he couldn’t ever die...

Oh yes, Jack remembered it all, the tears rolling down his cheeks as he dug into the soil, finally scrabbling around on his hands and knees to pull out the tin box which he hugged to him as he rocked back and forth – a lonely figure on a dark hillside on a cold, crisp winter’s night...

He tugged off the lid and inhaled deeply, the scent of his beloved Welshman floating out around him. He wiped his fingers on his coat before reaching into the box hesitantly, hands shaking wildly. His heart broke anew as he pulled out the red silk tie that he’d bought the day before they’d buried the capsule...the memories of that day washing over him and he broke again... Holding the tie up to his face, he cried, huge heart-wrenching cries like a wounded animal.

He cried for all those he’d let down and he cried for himself, for the loss of Ianto and for the overwhelming sense of hopelessness, the empty shell he’d become...a broken man desperate to reclaim all the time they’d had... He closed his eyes, picturing that gorgeous face wearing that special smile – his just-for-Jack-when-we’re-alone-smile, and he managed a tiny smile of his own through his tears. I’ll never forget you Ianto Jones...I promise, you’ll never be just a blip in time...not for me...

End

The story continues in No Place to Hide http://zazajb.livejournal.com/763.html


I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing... My thanks again to my wonderful beta - badly_knitted *squishes you* and the super-talented penny_sieve for the awesome artwork *hugs and champagne*
pdf if you prefer this format  http://www.sendspace.com/file/iuumvd
*waves* xxx