The Newest star...

Title: Lost inside of you: The newest star...
Author: zazajb
Rating: R, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M
Pairings/Characters: Jack/Ianto, The Doctor [10]
Spoilers - TW anything is possible - via memories, inc DW
Summary: Coda – Lost inside of you – Sad news and a visit from The Doctor [Sequel to No place to hide and All the time we have.] Words 2450

Previous chapters: http://zazajb.livejournal.com/6286.html

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters - just like to dabble with them from time to time
With thanks to the wonderful Wykling for the awesome banner *hugs*

A/N: My tribute to the brave and beautiful Elisabeth Sladen who lost her battle with cancer onTuesday. She will be sadly missed by DH/TW/SJA fans the world over. Thoughts are with her family and friends.

The newest star...

C’m here..! I am so going to spank you..!

You have to catch me first Jack...are you up to it old man?

Laughing helplessly, Jack gave chase once more as Ianto darted around the table and dodged into the bedroom. They faced each other on opposite sides of the bed, shared laughter bubbling in their heads as they panted breathlessly. Jack planted his hands on his hips triumphantly...now I’ve got you cornered!

He moved round towards his grinning Welshman, hands outstretched, only to groan as Ianto leapt on to the bed and was midpoint across it when Jack launched himself sideways to grab his partner’s ankles. Ianto came crashing down on top of the older man, driving every last breath out of them both as they lay gurgling, desperately trying to force air back into their lungs.

Ianto recovered first and struggled into a sitting position on the warm, still gasping body of his Captain. He ginned down at the other man...now who’s cornered? ....or should I say pinned down? He wriggled and made himself more comfortable, feeling his body react instantly to Jack’s beneath him.

Jack used this momentary distraction to full advantage by rocking wildly to flip them over and dragged Ianto over his knees. His hands scrabbled at the young man’s belt, button and zip, dragging his trousers and boxers down just enough to bare his backside before administering a couple of sharp slaps that made his hand sting.

Ianto gasped, part laughing, part extremely turned on as Jack then tickled his sides mercilessly before smacking his bare flesh once more...now who’s old? I’ll give you no stamina! You know that was a Blithinnt – no-one could catch that thing – they can leap entire buildings in the blink of an eye....I was letting him go..!

Yeah, right...you’d lost him by the second unit...Lois tracked him vanishing back through the rift another eight units over...as I said – no stamina, Jack!

You want stamina? You’re gonna regret that by morning because I’m going to take you hard and fast all night...

Promises, promises..!

Rolling Ianto over, Jack crashed his mouth onto the younger man’s kissing him with an urgency and passion that sent a hot surge of feral want cascading through them both as tongues explored possessively and nether regions stood proudly to attention... Ianto’s fingers tangled in Jack’s hair, keeping him close as teeth clashed and bodies burned with desire.

They broke briefly for air before diving straight back into hot, open mouthed kisses, hands dragging at clothing to tear each item off as quickly as possible... Jack’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he swore, groping blindly for his recently shed trousers without breaking their fiery kiss... if this is work it’d better be nothing less than the end of the universe...

He moaned as Ianto’s mouth latched on to the soft skin behind his ear as he squinted at the caller ID. “Sarah Jane...what can this lowly Captain do for such a beautiful lady as yourself..?” Ianto rolled his eyes at Jack’s most flirtatious tone. He concentrated on trailing his tongue across the other man’s throat and down his chest, one hand splaying out on his stomach, the other rolling a nipple between finger and thumb as his warm mouth closed over the other, sucking and nipping... He grinned as Jack’s thoughts merged with his own, on the way to complete coherence meltdown...he sucked and pinched that little bit harder...

He felt Jack’s sorrow like a body blow and sat up immediately to see his eyes swimming with tears that spilled out down his face as he reached to hold the younger man close, breathing in the reassuring scent that was just Ianto...

Ianto reached into Jack’s mind, catching his breath as he saw the reason for his distress... I’m so sorry, cariad...she was a beautiful lady...is there anything we can do..? Does Luke need anything..? He grimaced, sorry stupid question...  He moved to kneel behind his partner, sliding his arms tightly around him as he nuzzled into his hair and wrapped his mind around Jack’s...

The conversation lasted another ten minutes before Jack said goodbye after repeating their promise to do anything to help...”no matter what it is...day or night...”

He dropped the phone on the bed and turned into Ianto’s embrace, burying his face in the young man’s neck as he shared the sad news...all those aliens she fought against and it was cancer that took her...she didn’t tell anyone...even Luke... She left him a message with K9 to be played after her death...she’s made Mr Smith his legal guardian until his 18^th birthday which is only a few weeks away...

The thought hit them simultaneously...The Doctor...

They heard the familiar grating noise of the TARDIS as they flung their clothes back on and raced outside to the back garden, both feeling the Timelord’s obvious distress as they stood by the door, hands clasped tightly, waiting...

If he’s not out in another five minutes we’ll go in...

Ianto nodded, reaching his mind out to the special connection he’d had with the Doctor since their traumatic journeys into Jack’s darkest memories...the Timelord had supported Ianto’s fragile mind so many times, giving him an enduring piece of himself – a golden thread linking him to a love and wisdom that burned at the heart of time... come out...please...

Tortuous sobbing met his gentle press. He tried again...please Doctor...we know...we loved her too...

The door opened slowly and the Timelord stumbled out, falling into their open arms to be wrapped into a mammoth hug as their minds curled around his, their warmth and love eventually slowing his heaving sobs. No words were spoken...none were needed, each felt every heartbeat of the others, every breath bringing them closer as one as the bonds of eternal friendship strengthened once more...

Finally, they released him and led him back indoors. Ianto made some himself and Jack a coffee and a mug of his special tea for the Doctor and followed the others into the living room where they flopped down onto the sofas and sipped their drinks as they each followed their own quiet memories of the beautiful and brilliant Sarah Jane Smith...

Gradually their thoughts merged, settling on the last time Ianto had seen her, laughing and blushing at Jack’s outrageous flirting at HM Garden Party the previous May. She had positively glowed with life and vitality, Luke proudly at her side... The Doctor sent a flash of a velvet black sky and an echo of the ethereal beauty of Ood song...I’d like to share my Sarah Jane with you...

Entwining their hands, Jack and Ianto followed the Doctor into his mind space, that familiar and breathtaking sense of all there was and all there possibly could be filling them with wonder... They walked over to join him in gazing up at the endless night, the distant stars and mystical beauty of far spun galaxies glittering above them...

“I first met Sarah Jane in my second regeneration – so the third ‘me’ if you like...oh you’re just gonna love the fashion, Ianto! I was suave in those days..! Sarah Jane was an investigative journalist impersonating her aunt to infiltrate a top secret research facility...” he smiled fondly, despite the sparkle of fresh tears in his eyes as the shadows swirled and images formed in the sky above them...

“She thought I was the enemy and snuck on board the TARDIS as a stowaway...she was so young and beautiful and I was struck by how passionate she was about the fight for what is right...she got caught up in the battle against the Sontarans...”

The Doctor looked up as the sky was filled with metal helmeted militaristic aliens crying out for the glory of battle and flashes of sonic blasters whooshed past their ears...

When we won I invited her to come with me and we travelled through space and time...it was good...and then we met the spiders...

Ianto shuddered and pressed closer to Jack as the space above their heads was filled with giant blue spiders. They watched as the Doctor fell to the floor and began pulsing with light...he was regenerating as Sarah Jane watched with wide eyes...

The ‘new’ Doctor was totally different – big floppy hat, expressive eyes, incredibly long colourful scarf and a taste for jelly babies...

The images flowed thick and fast – encounters with more Sontarans, the Cybermen and a terrifying episode with Davros as he created the Daleks...knowing what would happen in the Time War... In each adventure Sarah Jane shone as a beacon of everything to do with hope and loyalty and love...”all those best human qualities and she made me a better person...

I had to take her home when I was summoned home to Gallifrey – no humans allowed on my home planet then – I took her home but I didn’t forget her – I sent her K9 one Christmas so he could help her with her investigations – I was so proud of her for getting on with her life...

I never expected to see her again after the incident when she was transported to Gallifrey by Lord President Borusa to take part in the Game of Rassilon in The Death Zone...that was a close one...”

The images shifted again and reformed to show the Doctor as they recognised him in his current form. He was beaming a greeting as he was introduced to Sarah Jane Smith, reporter, doing a piece on Lucas Finch, the new Headmaster of a school whose amazing turnaround had some rather strange features...

The Doctor was a teacher...Mr Smith... “I had a friend who sometimes went by that name...” Sarah Jane spoke quietly.

“It’s a common name...” he offered, unable to shake the delighted grin off his face.

“He was an uncommon man...” she responded wistfully...

Of course, Sarah Jane didn’t recognise him until they met again, in the dead of night as each was taking their own investigation of the school a step further.

“I waited for you to come back...but you never did...I thought you were dead...” she burst out, adding the fact that instead of taking her home he’d left her in Scotland!

They watched as the two old friends embraced...my Sarah Jane...the warmth of the Doctor’s emotions washed over them, drawing fond smiles to each of their faces.

It was a bit frosty when Rose and Sarah Jane first met, both vying to be the one who laid claim to the Doctor’s heart – what they’d forgotten was the undisputed fact that a Timelord has two hearts and therefore there was one for each of them..! These barriers overcome, the two women became close friends very quickly, to both the joy, and dismay, of the sometimes bemused child of Gallifrey...

They chuckled when Mickey realised he was the modern equivalent to the ‘tin dog’ K9, now repaired by the Doctor and his sonic screwdriver... The brave dog sacrificed himself to blow the school up when it became clear that the aliens would not be thwarted or persuaded to abandon their plan to take charge of the building blocks of the universe by using the brains and souls of schoolchildren to crack the code...

At this farewell, Sarah Jane insists on a goodbye, sharing the fact that she never married...”there was this one man...he was kind of a tough act to follow...” They felt her joy when she discovered Mark IV K9 waiting for her when the TARDIS dematerialised...

The sky swirled for a final time to form the events of the Stolen Earth and Jack and Ianto watched as images of themselves appeared to play their part in the events of Davros’ attempts to destroy reality itself, the ‘Children of Time’ uniting to face down the threat in a thrilling and complicated rollercoaster ride that resulted in the Doctor-Donna and the destruction of the Daleks once again...

They watched the events play out through the twists and turns culminating in a wonderful journey home with everyone helping to fly the TARDIS as it towed the earth home to restore reality...

The Doctor’s tears fell freely as he watched himself hug Sarah Jane goodbye once more before she ran off happily, her final words, “...he’s only 14...” as she hurried back to her son, K9 and Mr Smith, the super computer who helped her protect her neighbourhood from alien threat...

“Good bye Sarah Jane...my Sarah Jane...” he whispered as they tightened their arms around his narrow shoulders, their own tears falling silently down their cheeks...

The images cleared and the sky returned to velvet blackness as the Ood song filled their heads and hearts.

They stood, heads bowed for long minutes until the Doctor pulled himself gently from their embrace. “It’s time to say good bye again...” as he retreated from his mind space to return them to real time.

Ianto moved to the decanter to pour three glasses of single malt whisky. Handing each man a glass, they moved back outside into the garden. Three men: one immortal, one vastly extended lifespan, one Timelord [last of] raised their glasses to the clear night sky and toasted the newest star in the velvety heavens...rest in peace Sarah Jane...

End

Elisabeth Sladen 1948 - 2011