The Storms of Change: Chapter Five

[emeraldsnakes]

Summary: There comes a time in every Sentinel's life when their immortality is revealed. When 21st Century Earth is the epicenter of the change that will decide the survival of the human race. What kind of consequences affect those who are preparing for the change as this immortality is revealed amongst one of their own. Is Torchwood really ready?


 

Words: 1,075
Title: Blame

Jack looked around the Hub for a moment while John mindlessly flirted with the rest of his team. He though coming back would make everything feel better after his ordeal on the Valiant but everything just felt empty. He was empty, drained and completely bone dead tired. It was a state of being he'd never experienced before. He'd felt lost, abandoned, tired enough that he could actually sleep an entire night, but never this.

There were certain things he thought he'd be coming back to, but he'd forgotten that those things had been taken away from him. Ianto had been taken away from him, before anything could really happen between them. He liked the younger man, he was sexy, smart and very loving with a sarcastic humour that Jack just loved. His coffee making skills were amazing and their sex was mind blowing. There was something about Ianto that Jack had been drawn to, the same something that had kept Jack fighting to get back to while on the Valiant. He hadn't…he'd forgotten though and now he didn't know what to do.

"Bugger," Owen said bringing him back to the present. "I need fucking coffee. Where the hell is Teaboy. Ianto!"

Jack didn't know what to think. Had something infected the team while he was away to make them think Ianto was still here? Why would Owen call for him, unless they'd found a new exceptional coffee maker who also happened to be called Ianto. Not likely. Was he playing some kind of cruel joke on Jack for running off with The Doctor like he had. Owen could be callous but he wasn't that terrible. He wouldn't do that.

When he got no answer Owen walked to the entrance of the archives and bellowed down the hallway. He came back mumbling darkly about unidentifiable things but Jack knew they were definitely about Ianto.

He turned to Tosh as John started propositioning Gwen. "What's going on Tosh?"

Tosh smiled reassuringly, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Several days after you left Ianto showed up. Owen ran all the tests to make sure it really was him, but he doesn't remember what Bilis did to him. Those ten days are completely blank for him."Jack smiled brightly. Ianto was alive and healthy. He was back too, which made him all the more pleased. "I need to talk to him."

O.o.O.o.o.o.O.o.O.

Jack was aware that something was wrong when he noticed that he couldn't hear John's voice trying to get into someone's pants. He looked around cautiously as a quite John meant a devious John and a devious John usually ended up with someone either handcuffed to a bed or dead.

"Toshiko," he drew out slowly as he walked towards her station. "Where'd our guest go?"

Toshiko sat up straight, startled and began tying on her keyboard. She pulled up the internal CCTV and began checking each one of them for the elusive ex-Time Agent.

What she found made her eyes widen and Jack had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. John and Ianto were fighting, real combat trained fighting and it appeared as though Ianto was the aggressor. Where Ianto had learned to fight like that Jack didn't know but he knew that was one thing he was going to find out.

"Shit," He exclaimed as his eyes caught sight of the well hidden gun. "Everyone, archives. Now!"

He ran there, determined to make sure nothing happened to Ianto. If John though he was losing than he would draw the gun, no doubt about it and Jack feared above all that he would use it. He couldn't yet Ianto die, not after just finding out he was alive. Seeing Ianto and John ready to kill each other nearly stopped his heart and the dark look in Ianto's eyes terrified him. Ianto had never looked like that before and looks like that didn't show up in ten days. What had Bilis done?

"Put the gun down John," he ordered angrily. "You wanted my help but you are certainly not getting it if you shoot Ianto."

If Ianto died he would never be able to forgive himself. Losing him once had been bad enough, he was so young with so much to live for that he didn't deserve it. If he lost Ianto again he would lose himself. He would stop caring and probably ruin relationships, one of them probably being Gwen's. He didn't have deep running feelings for her, never would despite her fantasies but he could end up not caring about what happened to her life and use her.

"Do you trust this man with your life Jack? I don't think you should, because he if far m ore that just simple Eye Candy," John said.

Jack's eyes blazed in anger but it was Ianto who answered, voice cold and full of hate. "You should talk. You're a murderer; you killed that woman just so you could have access to that diamond only to find out she'd hidden it on you. Poor, poor you."

Jack didn't have time to react as both John and Ianto pulled the trigger. He was briefly aware that Ianto's bullet didn't look normal, glowing yellow the way it did before impacting John's forehead. He yelled in protest as he saw Ianto fall, blood beginning to stain his suit.

He walked forward slowing, staring at Ianto's body and he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He'd been ready to make thing work between them, take him out on a date and build up a trust between them again. Though he knew he could never bring himself to love Ianto he thought he could find what he needed to be alive, to be human. That was gone now and it was his fault. He had done this by bringing John into the Hub, someone he knew would kill for no reason but the fact that he liked it.

He turned to his team, to their pain and knew that though they never would, they should blame him. He was at fault, they should be angry with him; they should hate him. "Owen, can you?" he gestured back towards Ianto's body, unable to say it, to make it really real.

"Of course Jack," Owen replied and Jack immediately left. He couldn't bear to look or be in the same room anymore.

Chapter Six

Comments

[onlyoneargess.livejournal.com]

I love the way you point/counter-point Ianto's and Jack's emotions, thought's and feelings for chapter 4 and 5.

I'm wondering what Jack will say to Ianto when he comes back from the dead. And will Jack think that Ianto is one of the alien threats that Torchwood is fighting against.