All the time we have 4/8 + epilogue

[zazajb]

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