Author: d8rkmessngr
Pairing: Jack/OMC, Jack/?, Jack/Ianto eventually, het and slash
Rating: NC-17 (betaed)
Summary: He left Jack on the game station. Abandoned. But then…he came back…different. An AU look on what happens if things happened differently. Doctor Who 'verse with Torchwood later on. Be sure to read the warnings.


Warnings: Please read each chapter's individual warnings. Some parts down the road may briefly mention non-con, abuse, and/or violence. Dark in the beginning. Please note there are some dark thoughts as my boys are broken…for now. Each chapter will be labeled for your convenience.
Author's Notes: Please note this is an AU that will cross over DW to TW season one. I'm probably spoiling my own story, but it will eventually be Janto. There's a bit of a journey first. I hope you enjoy. I'm working on this and intend to post regularly every other day. And again, I always believe in happy endings. So without further ado…
Disclaimer: RTD and BBC owns them. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

Warning For This Chapter: DARK, mentions m/m situations, strong language

Notes For This Chapter: Note there are parallels to TW's "Small Worlds"


Prologue + Ch , Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13,Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17, Ch 18. Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22


Master Fic List: here


Chapter 23 – "Small Worlds"
Act I: "They're home. They're here. My little darlings."

Jack leaned against the wall by the cog door. He covered his eyes with his hands and took a deep breath.

The flight jacket itched around his neck. Too used to the upturned thick wool collar warm against his neck, this one was a little scratchy, pilled from it being pulled off him too roughly or rubbing against coarse brick walls.

His jeans were still damp at the knees. Jack grimaced. Wet denim was never pleasant. He straightened, wincing at the sharp stings and aches he had all over his body and swiped his card. The alarms bleeped, swirled and groaned as the cog doors reluctantly opened.

The Hub was still draped in dim, electric blue light that made strange shadows when he crossed the patchwork of metal grills over water and concrete. His body ached and his head was still stuffed with cotton from drinks he probably shouldn't have drunk. Jack made a face over how he smelled.

Jack stopped short when he heard the pterodactyl caw.

"Get some sleep," Jack told it wearily, but didn't look up. "I'm going to try to now." He shrugged out of his jacket; the musky smell too overpowering for his nose right now.

The shower he stood under washed the night and the anonymous faces away. Jack found he needed to brace himself, arms and legs apart, and let the water trickle down and wash away the touches and the bites and the filth and—

Jack sighed. He rubbed soap over his body, carefully over his groin and tentatively fingered his own opening before rinsing himself off.

Thrum-thrum-ta—

Jack slammed his palms on the slick tile. It went away, but left him feeling slimy and hollow. There was an ache between his legs he tried to ignore. He'd been trying to ignore it the two days since Ianto came back. It had been cordial, reserved, and safe. No wondering what the younger man really meant, no watching him and remembering how he had touched Jack like he was made of spun glass, no more trying to ignore the hunger/want/need roiling in his gut each time Ianto spoke. Ianto said it was a mistake, Jack said move on, so they're…moving on.

His gut tightened as if someone was twisting a knife point from the inside. His chest echoed the sensation.

No. No. Jack had drowned it out before. Blunt and brute force tore into him and pushed that alien feeling out. It should have stayed gone. Jack Harkness performed his own exorcism. Why? Why was it back?

Jack stood under the water, clenching and unclenching his fists, head low to his chest as he waited for the water to finish baptizing him for the new sunrise approaching in a few hours.

When it grew too cold to stay under the spray, Jack stumbled out of the tiny space, half-heartedly toweling dry, and then collapsing into his bunk with a groan. He lay there, staring up through the open hatch. He watched the lights that must have came from Tosh's computer dance across the ceiling in his office. He thought he could hear Moonlight Serenade.

Time crawled but still he couldn't sink into blessed sleep. He lay on his back, eyes blankly tracking the swirls of blue spinning above him, his arms stretched above his head. It was cold but he couldn't bring himself to get something warmer from his wardrobe.

The lights were hypnotic and gave him the sense of being underwater. Jack kept watching until at last, his eyelids drooped.

But as they shut, he heard fluttering wings and saw a rain of rose petals.



It was too early to be here. So early in fact that not even the bakery was open yet so Ianto contented with himself with leftover bread toasted on their hot plate and a small smear of butter and jam.

Ianto woke up from watching Lisa down a long hallway. She was smiling at him teary eyed, her hands clasped in front of her and standing so far down the narrow corridor. He kept trying to reach her, but she kept pulling away until finally, she was gone.

There was probably food in his kitchen but he couldn't bring himself to stay in his flat any longer nor tolerate yet another feeble attempt to sleep. Ianto crept into the Hub and wandered workstation to workstation like a living ghost. He left the lights off so he wouldn't wake Jack.

The odd readings from Tosh's station came as a relief; abnormal climatic changes localized to areas barely large enough to fit a house. It was something to do besides the now awkward routine among people no longer sure if they can trust him. Ianto knew Gwen and Tosh were trying; they made feeble attempts to chitchat when he circulated by their stations to cleanup. He caught Owen glowering at him resentfully from time to time. And Jack…

Ianto sighed. It was like meeting him for the first time, Jack watching him warily like he was still trying to figure him out. But the first time, before, there was also something else brewing in Jack's gaze, something Ianto couldn't identify. Yet its absence was sorely evident. And it made Jack virtually a stranger.

Time passed as he paced from one station to another, his nose buried in the reports he’d printed. The toast he made was now left forgotten on the table by their worn couch.

"You shouldn't be here."

That deep baritone husky with sleep slowed his steps back towards Tosh's station. Ianto looked—he couldn't help himself—at Jack in his white undershirt and trousers, his braces dangling from his waist.

"Neither should you." It was the only thing he could think of saying at the hooded eyes and mussed up hair. Ianto averted his eyes back to Tosh's station.

"I sleep here," Jack said, closer to a sigh. He didn't move from his doorway.

It didn't look like there was any sleeping being done though, Ianto noted as he brought up the geographical map and the meteorological reports.

"You…you're the one who shouldn't be here."

Jack was a force that was hard to ignore. When he moved, Ianto felt like the very air around him move as well, like ripples in the water as a boat cut through.

"Can't sleep?" It was a throaty question that flinted off shivers down his back.

Ianto leveled his gaze at Jack. "Nightmares?" he challenged.

Not surprisingly, Jack didn't answer.

Ianto heaved a sigh and turned back around. "Sorry," he murmured. It felt like all he did was apologize lately.

A hand slipped up and settled over his right shoulder blade. Startled, Ianto glanced over. The hand patted him, then abruptly pulled away. He felt bereft when Jack's hand vanished before, pulling back quickly as if remembering. Jack's brow was slightly furrowed and Ianto turned away.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, but he wasn't looking at the screen.

Ianto pretended to misunderstand and nodded towards the monitor at the map. "Funny sort of weather patterns."

Jack leaned in from behind his shoulder and stared at the screen.

Ianto swallowed hard as he could see Jack's profile out of the corner of his eye. Jack was close enough for Ianto's skin to feel his body heat. Damn, even now, his groin twitched remembering how smooth yet hot Jack's skin felt, stretching when he arched his back, pulling Ianto in deeper. His skin felt just as silken hot when Ianto was in him, filling him, every glorious—

"Are you okay?" Jack tilted his head at Ianto, frowning. "You look flushed."

"F-fine." Ianto covered himself by clearing his throat. He covered his dismay by pointing at the red spots on the map.

"These started showing up about five minutes ago." Ianto took a step away to reach for his printouts. "Weather reports called for clear skies, no winds." Ianto ran a hand through his hair and exhaled sharply. "Lasted about four minutes, then…nothing."

For some reason, Jack glanced back to his office. Something flitted across his face. "You didn't happen to bring in uh…flowers or anything, did you?"

The question was rather a non sequitur. Ianto raised an eyebrow. "No," he said slowly.

"Anything with petals, roses?"

His brow rose higher. "I've never been the sort to buy people flowers, sir." Except for Lisa and never roses. "Why?"

Jack glanced back at Ianto. He had a mild frown. "Nothing." He considered the map.

"Where was this again?"



Roundstone Woods

It was still dark enough to need a flashlight. The small patch of wood was surprisingly wild and feral feeling as his boots crunched twigs and leaves.

Jack welcomed the chance to be out here, away from the Hub, his dreams, and Ianto.

At the thought of Ianto, Jack gulped. Maybe it was because he had just come back, maybe it was because he was still groggy from the minutes of sleep he had managed to get, but finding Ianto in the shadows of Torchwood had left an ache in his stomach. The feel of Ianto's body under his palm before Jack caught his surprise was just too much. He wanted to lean in, wrap his arms around the lean body and lick a line along his Adam's apple.

Jack rested his forehead against a moss-covered tree.

Not helping, he thought as he stepped away from the tree. Alone in the Hub would have been dangerous; fire that he was drawn to despite knowing he will get burned. Jack ruefully looked around himself. A late night goose chase will help. Jack drew his coat closed.

"Do you see anything?"

Okay, Ianto whispering in his ear? Really, not helping!

"Lots of things," Jack said in a low voice as he waved his scanner in front of him.

"What?"

Jack smiled to himself. The curiosity was barely suppressed from Ianto's usually reserved voice. Maybe he should consider training Ianto for the field. He could almost see the younger man sitting on the edge of his seat in excitement right now, his slim upper body leaning forward, his mouth parted as he—

Jack yelped as he tripped over an exposed tree root.

"Jack?"

"Tree root," Jack managed, two fingers in his collar. He shined his light on it first; to be sure it was just a root. There was a small part of him that wished Ianto stuck with "Sir". Then his insides wouldn't knot each time, his groin wouldn't feel overheated. It was one stupid syllable. Damn the Welsh and their perchance to make everything sound so erotic.

"What do you see?" Ianto asked again quietly.

"Trees, leaves, dirt, rocks, and—wait."

"What? What?"

Jack snickered. "More trees."

Ianto's sigh in his ear piece made his toes curl inside his boots. "Very funny."

"Why are you whispering anyway?"

"I uh…" Ianto was taken aback. "I don't know?"

Jack covered his mouth before a laugh broke through. God, it felt like ages since his face had stretched out like this. He was still smiling as he scanned the woods. It was easier to talk to Ianto when he couldn't see him. Less chance of remembering things; it deceptively felt like nothing had changed.

"I can hear you laughing." Apparently, it was the same for Ianto. His tone sounded a bit more relaxed.

A twig cracked in the distance. Bushes rustled. Jack stiffened.

There was no way Ianto could have heard yet his voice dropped. "Jack?"

Jack took a steadying breath. He could hear footsteps approaching. His hand drifted to his hip holster.

It was as if Ianto was right there; his tone was low, calm.

"No climate changes. No rift readings in front of you."

Jack nodded even though Ianto couldn't see it. He could see a small shadow in front him, slowly as he drew near. Just a shadow, non-threatening, but Jack drew out his weapon.

"Show yourself!" Jack barked.

Someone gasped. Someone human.

"Oh my God…Jack?"



Act II

"Fairies?" Ianto repeated. He set a coffee down in front of Jack. The captain barely looked up as he sorted through a stack of photographs.

Jack had returned before anyone else had come in to work. It was like falling back into an old routine—Ianto caught himself checking the time to patrol the vaults—while he made a coffee and kept it warm and waiting for him. When Jack arrived, however, he looked too dazed as if he was sleepwalking. Ianto brewed a stronger cup which Jack drained almost immediately.

The laugh was strained. "She believes these creatures are fairies. I don't." Jack's expression darkened and reminded Ianto of Canary Wharf. He swallowed. He resisted the urge to step back.

"They're something more devious, beyond human comprehension." Jack picked up the rose petal. He twirled it like a flag.

"You've seen them before," Ianto guessed, gingerly sitting on the edge of Jack's desk. Jack didn't seem to notice.

"Back in 1909," Jack murmured.

The faraway eyes flashed in his memory. "Ah."

"You don't look surprised," Jack realized, looking up.

Ianto tapped a finger to his temple. "Archivist for section 'G' to 'H', remember? You made some interesting reading, sir."

There was a surprising pink line across Jack's cheeks. Ianto couldn't stop staring. "Oh yeah." He chuckled nervously.

"The mimes," Ianto reminded him.

Jack grimaced. "Still on the alien mimes, huh?" He smiled sadly at the rose petal.

If this was like before, Ianto wouldn't have hesitated to ask. He would have asked and found out why Jack had stumbled back to the Hub like that; why he had abruptly cut off his comms after Estelle Cole ran into him in Roundstone Wood.

But it wasn't before. It was now. It was after glorious sex, abrupt loss, and the palpable, yawning chasm he could feel between them.

"If I…" Ianto began, swiping his tongue across his lower lip. "Would it be horrible of me to ask you a question?"

Jack frowned at the petal he held. "What do you—Oh." The petal dropped. Jack raised his gaze at him, suddenly wary.

Ianto shrugged. He lowered his eyes, unable to meet Jack's and brushed a hand across his lap. "Never mind. I know I'd lost that right. I…forget it—"

"What was your question?"

Ianto blinked in surprise. He met Jack's gaze. He wished Jack didn't look like he was bracing for something. Ianto shook his head.

"No. Forget it. I—"

"It's buried, Ianto." Jack shrugged, more to himself. "It's okay."

No, it's not, Ianto thought. He wanted to reach over to Jack's shoulder, not even sure why he needed the contact, why it hurt to hear Jack dismiss everything that happened between them like a passing glance. Ianto cleared his throat.

"How did you know her?"

Jack looked at him sideways. It looked like he wasn't going to answer, his face shuttering as he studied the rose petal again.

Ianto dropped his gaze to his shoes and tried to tell himself it was okay. He needed to expect this. He couldn't come back thinking everything would be okay between them.

"London," Jack said quietly. "We were—she was in love." He smiled ruefully up at Ianto. "With me."

"Oh." The answer didn't make Ianto feel any better. "She didn't know." It wasn't a question but Jack answered anyway.

"No." Jack rested his elbows on the desk and propped his chin in his hands. "Not something that can ever come up in conversation. I met her, we were together for some time." His eyes grew cloudy. "I realized it could never work…I left."

"Just like that?" Ianto blurted out, regretting it instantly when Jack's face completely closed off.

"Just like that," Jack said flatly.

"I didn't mean…"

Jack dropped the petal and walked out to greet Tosh arriving to work. "Yes you did." He brushed by Ianto without another word.



Act III

Additional Notes: Many thanks to soullessminion for betaing this chapter. And trtmx for her magic trick that saved my sanity! LOL.