a_silver_story | Torchwood IMs: Jack's Proposal

Title: Jack's Proposal
Chapter: 83
Characters: Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper, Jack Harkness
Author:

a_silver_story
Genre Humour, smut, angst
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: M.M implied
Disclaimer: If I owned anything in this, I'd be a rich rich rich bitch. However, I am not a rich rich rich bitch so you may all, therefore, assume I own nothing. Which I don't. It all belongs RTD and the BBC, in case any of you didn't know.
Summary: See title, really.

FIRST PART | Ianto and Gwen's IM's

PREVIOUS | Torchwood Index/Masterlist

83 |

Now, as Jack listened to Ianto's heartbeat, he shuddered to think what he might have lost that morning. He'd spent the day cleaning the mess on autopilot, snapping at Gwen and being generally moody. He couldn't look at Ianto, feeling too guilty for reasons he didn't know. Raising his head a little, he could make out Ianto's peaceful, young, sleeping face glowing in the moonlight.

What if he hadn't looked up at that moment? What if Ianto was in the morgue, rather than in bed? What if Jack had never got the chance to see him smile, or hear him laugh, or hold him tight ever again? Jack reached up and touched his face, worrying his lip even more and running over some options in his head.

Ianto was right - Jack had been taking things slow because he had all the time in the world. Ianto might not make it through tomorrow.

Rolling on to his back, Jack knew he'd made his decision.

The only problem would be convincing Ianto it was be the right one ....

Ianto stared at him as if he'd never seen him before. "I'm sorry ... d-d-did you just ask me what I thought you just asked me?" he stammered.

"Yes." said Jack firmly.

"Oh ..." Ianto averted his gaze. He fidgeted with his hands, then turned back to Jack, his eyes dark and scowling. "No. And I can't believe you even suggested it!"

He got up and crossed the room, angrily pulling on a t shirt as Jack scrambled off the bed to follow him. "Ianto! It's for the best! Think about it!"

"I have thought about it!" Ianto snapped.

"Not clearly." grumbled Jack. "Take a moment ..."

"I. Am. Not. Leaving. Torch. Wood. I don't know how I can make that any clearer, Jack!"

"Just wait! Consider your options - our options! If you leav-"

"If I leave, I get retconned." Ianto cut him off, trying to locate his boxers. He winced as a pain shot up his calf from the bullet wound of the day before, and began making his way to the kitchen to find some paracetamol or ibuprofen.

"I'm in charge. If I bent the rules for Rhys - and for Rhiannon - I can bend them for us, too."

"Bend them for you, you mean." Ianto replied bitterly, punching two pills from a blister pack and running the tap for cold water.

"Well ... if you want to view it that way." Jack crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

Ianto didn't reply, drinking down his painkillers and noisily filling the sink and getting ready to do the washing up from the night before. Jack watched him for a moment or two, then reached for the tea towel to start drying. Ianto stared at him as if he'd never seen him before.

"Since when did Captain Jack Harkness help with the washing up?" he asked sarcastically.

"Since he rethought a few basic priorities." Jack replied neutrally, setting the now dry plate aside and reaching for the next.

Ianto gave him a sidelong glance. "Dare I ask?"

"I was thinking ... one day, you're gonna die-"

"... no shit, Sherlock."

"- and I was thinking ... it's not fair on you to ... y'know ... keep you at arm's length because ... you only get one shot at this. And I don't want to ruin it for you."

Ianto took the towel from Jack's hands and dried his own, frowning. "Are you ... breaking off with me?" he asked quietly.

"You know how I feel about you, Ianto. And I know how ... how you feel about me. Breaking off now would have been a waste of all that time and emotion, and you're right: I've wasted too much of your time."

"So ... you want me to leave Torchwood ... but still be together?"

"Yeah. Maybe somewhere new. Not too far away ... but a change of scenery."

"Somewhere new?"

"Yeah."

"I'm confused."

"How?"

"When you said leave Torchwood ... oh my God! Did you mean both of us?"

"Why not?"

"Jack! How can you be so selfish?" Ianto threw down the towel he hadn't realised he'd still been clutching.

"Selfish?" exclaimed Jack.

"You're supposed to be working to protect people - not wandering away whenever the feeling takes you!"

"Wandering awa- are you referring to when I left with the Doctor?"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "And that wasn't wandering away when the feeling took you, was it?"

"I waited over a hundred years for him to show up!"

Ianto took a deep breath. "Look ... just ... what are you planning? Don't give it to me in chunks: tell me all at once."

"I want us to move away together and make a proper go of it."

Silence.

"Well?"

Silence.

"Ianto?"

"Gwen and Rhys are planning on having a baby." he said, turning to scrub the work surfaces. "There'll be no one left to look after Torchwood. Andy Davidson needs training, the team needs a medic and a technician - if we leave too it will need a leader and an Archivist slash PA. We can't move away now, Jack. The timing is ... it's awful."

Jack stared at his toes. "Yeah ... you're right."

"I'm sorry, Jack."

"Don't be ... I was ... never mind ..."

He took a step to walk away and Ianto pulled him into his arms, holding him tight.

~*~*~*~

GWEN has entered the conversation

GWEN: Morning!

JACK: Morning.

GWEN: How are you today?
GWEN: You seem a bit quiet.
GWEN: Quiet for you, anyway ;)

JACK: Just brooding.

GWEN: I thought Ianto made you leave your brooding on the roof?

JACK: Yes well I don't always do what Ianto says.

GWEN: If you want to think that, that's fine ;)

JACK: What's that supposed to mean?

GWEN: *cough* under the thumb *cough*

JACK: whatever
JACK: Leave me alone. Some of us are trying to work.

JACK has left the conversation

~*~

MR JONES has entered the conversation

GWEN: Morning!

MR JONES: Morning.

GWEN: What's up with Jack?

MR JONES: How should I know?

GWEN: Okay ...
GWEN: What's up with you, then?

MR JONES: A lot on my mind.

GWEN: Okay.
GWEN: Just out of interest: when was the last time you and Jack went out?

MR JONES: ~_-
MR JONES: Why?

GWEN: Because you're both in bad moods, you're both being cagey and you're both annoying the hell outta me!
GWEN: You should take him out somewhere and make him TALK.

MR JONES: Yeah.

GWEN: C'mon, Ianto. What's up.

MR JONES: Nothing.

GWEN: Do I have to go up there and put you in a headlock again?

MR JONES: I haven't quite recovered from last time yet.

GWEN: Well, unless you want it happening again you'd better spill!

MR JONES: Jack asked me for something, and I couldn't give it him.
MR JONES: I may regret this next sentence, but here goes: that's all I'm saying.

GWEN: 'asked your for something'?
GWEN: Was it something ... y'know ... too kinky?

MR JONES: No.

GWEN: What was it?

MR JONES: I'm not telling you! Leave it!

GWEN: But you told me so much already - you lead me on!

MR JONES: Did not! You kept asking questions!

GWEN: And if you answer them, I'm going to ask more ;-P
GWEN: C'mon, Ianto! I'm your best friend! You used to tell me everything!

MR JONES: I'm not 'coming on'
MR JONES: And you only found out everything because Toshiko insisted you be there on Coffee Shop and Gossip Wednesday.

GWEN: But you want to tell me! You know you do! *big puppy eyes*

MR JONES: Okay I maybe do want to tell you a little bit - but not for the right reasons.

GWEN: 'the right reasons'?

MR JONES: I'd only tell you because I'd take satisfaction in how jealous you'd be if you knew.

GWEN: :|
GWEN: Jealous?
GWEN: What's he asked for?

MR JONES: It doesn't matter. Please just leave it.
MR JONES: Anyway, weren't you saying the other day that you wanted to go to IKEA?

GWEN: Yes. I want some drawers that match the wardrobe we got last year. The old ones broke while we were moving them.

MR JONES: Sure they did.

GWEN: What's that supposed to mean?

MR JONES: Jack uses the 'broke while moving' excuse in many official logs ;)

GWEN: Oi. You and your dirty mind. We did break them while moving them!

MR JONES: suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure.

GWEN: So ... did he ask you forrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
GWEN: Commitment?

MR JONES: 'commitment'?
MR JONES: Are you a Gwen from the past who has no idea what's going on?

GWEN: ^_^ okay.
GWEN: Did he want you to move into the hub?
GWEN: OMG HE DID, DIDN'T HE?

MR JONES: No, that's not what he asked.

GWEN: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww *hugs*

MR JONES: Anyways - will you be needing me to help carry the drawers? I seem to remember Rhys nearly putting his back out with the wardrobe.

GWEN: Yes please :)

MR JONES: You'll be wanting me to build them, I'll presume.

GWEN: *gasp*
GWEN: It's like you know

MR JONES: *gasp*
MR JONES: It's like you're predictable!

GWEN: :o

MR JONES: :-P

GWEN: Y'know ... you never really told me ...
GWEN: What's sex with Jack like?

MR JONES: Innovative.
MR JONES: Bordering on the avant garde.

GWEN: I know thatttttt. I speak to Martha, too.
GWEN: I mean ... what's it 'like'?

MR JONES: It's as blissful as having a day without you nagging at me asking what it's like to have sex with Jack.

GWEN::o
GWEN: Cheeky bugger!

MR JONES: :-P
MR JONES: If anyone's being cheeky, it's you invading my personal space, madam!

GWEN: Fair play.
GWEN: ... and there goes the Rift Alarm ...

MR JONES: I'll be right up.

MR JONES has left the conversation

~*~*~*~

"Well that was a complete and utter failure." grumbled Ianto, turning the SUV back on to the motorway, pristine clean while Jack and Gwen were dripping from head to toe in alien vomit.

"How was I supposed to know it was a recovering drug addict- that bastard was three times the size of us!"

"It was a mutated sea monkey and I refuse to acknowledge it as anything but."

Gwen had given up trying to get the goo off her face, and was resigned to the fact she'd probably need a pressure washer to get it off. "How did you avoid being sicked on, anyway, Ianto?" she complained, trying her best not to get any vomit on the car seats and keep it on the plastic carrier bags Ianto had insisted on putting down before they'd been allowed near the vehicle.

"Yeah ... well ... Jack spent the entire time stood in front of me, didn't he? Turned on my side and the thing totally missed."

"It's a good job I was standing in front of you," Jack retorted. "It was eyeing you up. It'd have eaten you."

"Given the evidence of its digestive capabilities, I'd say it would have brought me back up sooner or later. You guys hungry?"

In answer, Jack's stomach rumbled loudly. "You must be psychic." he said, affectionately.

Ianto pulled off at the service station, and had to stop Jack three times from trying to get out. "You're staying the SUV - you can't walk in there covered in alien vomit - people will stare - you'll probably be asked to leave, and not in the way you like."

Jack and Gwen watched him walk purposefully towards the building.

"So ..." began Gwen. "What's sex with Ianto like?" she asked innocently.

Jack glanced at her in the mirror, eyebrow raised. She was smirking, and he couldn't help but smirk back. "Different. Fun. Kinky. Sensual. The best way to spend every second of free time you have - maybe you should try it some day." he winked.

"Or not ..."

Jack jumped as Ianto's voice broke across the comms. Gwen sniggered.

"... and you can tell Gwen to stop asking questions about our sex life. It's bad enough when she does it in the comfort of the hub."

Jack turned and gave her a raised eyebrow this time, and she shrugged. He pulled the comm out of his ear and slipped his hand in his pocket to squeeze the little silver TeleComm he carried there.

"Ianto?"

"Ahhhhh great. So you're in my head as well, now?"

"In your head is a very nice place to be."

"I dread to think how much innuendo was in that sentence."

"Quite a lot. If you squint." Jack replied guiltily. "What food are you getting?"

"Subway."

"Mmmmm. We haven't had Subway for a while ..."

"Nearly a whole week. How have you coped?"

"No idea. How long will it be until you get back?"

"A few minutes. Be patient."

"'Be patient'? Hello, Ianto Jones. I'm Captain Jack Harkness ..."

"Hello, Captain Jack. Considered getting your own sandwich lately?"

"I would if you'd have let me get out of the car."

"And I'd have let you get out of the car if you weren't covered in disgusting slime."

"Do you have an answer for everything?"

"I have an answer for most things."

Jack send him a very strong image of himself sticking his tongue out. He heard Ianto's laugh in reply.

"Shall I send Gwen home early today?"

"Definitely."

"My place or yours?"

"Yours. We have a seriously underused sex den less than ninety feet from your office that we can't seem to ever find time to use."

"I do love your thinking."

"Me too. Now shush - I need to concentrate on sandwiches."

"How about a Jack, Ianto and Gwen sandwich?"

"How about I order you a lovely, healthy, rabbit food - filled vegetarian sandwich?"

"But then I'll be weak from lack of sustenance - and how will I properly satisfy you if I'm not sustenanced?"

"That's not even a word, Jack. Now be quiet/"

There was silence from Ianto's end of the Comms after that, and Jack realised he was smirking to himself for no apparent reason.

"What's got in to you?" Gwen asked from the back seat.

"Nothing just ... thinking about what you asked me."

"You mean ... you're fantasizing?" she smirked. "You're fantasizing about Ianto?"

Jack shrugged. "Don't you?"

"Me? Me ... fantasize about ... about Ianto? Me? Well ... no ... never. Na-ah. Not once."

Her statement was met with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay ..." she admitted. "Just after I walked in on the two of you, I had this dream -"

"Back!" declared Ianto as he pulled open the door and plonked himself inside. "It's bloody freezing out there! I asked them to make the food hot for you both ..." He started unwrapping a sandwich to identify its owner, before hesitating and realising the awkwardness in the car. "What?"

"Nothing." replied Gwen and Jack in unison.

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Gwen shifted uncomfortably.

"Have you been talking about me?"

"No." said Jack quickly. Ianto narrowed his eyes.

"What were you saying?"

"We weren't talking about you, sweetheart." Gwen assured him sweetly.

Ianto glanced over at Jack, and could see that at any moment he was going to snap and tell. "Jack?"

"Gwen has fun dreams about you!" he tumbled out, almost gleefully. "Oof!" he yelped as a gooey hand collided with his head.

Ianto had turned pink. "Erm ... I already knew about that ... and ... that was aphrodisiac-pollen induced ..."

"Oh ... the first one was pollen-induced ..." smirked Gwen, and Jack sniggered.

"That's your sandwich, Gwen." Ianto said, hurriedly shoving it into her hands and starting up the car. He reversed almost violently, driving quickly to get back onto the motorway and get the now very awkward journey over and done with. Jack didn't really seem to notice the awkwardness, quietly laughing to himself every couple of minutes. Ianto considered throwing him out onto the hard shoulder and telling him to walk from there, but that would mean being left on his own with Gwen, and he really wouldn't look forward to that.

~*~

Part of Jack couldn't believe he'd come out and told Ianto what Gwen had said - but part of him was explicitly glad he did. Almost gleeful. He tried not to laugh out loud too much, but with the awkward silence and Ianto's tetchiness combined, he'd found himself trapped in a giggle loop. Any moment now, he was going to burst out laughing properly - and Ianto would be far from impressed.

"Ohhh ... what's this?" groaned Ianto. "Bloody roadworks ... always constant bloody roadw-"

Jack frowned as he looked out of the window, swearing it had just gone suddenly darker - dusk shades were creeping over the roads and the lamps were flickering on. He turned to ask Ianto if he'd noticed it too, and nearly jumped out of his skin.

Ianto wasn't there.

Suzie Costello was.

Jack stared at her, his mouth open.

"... and so I'll cross reference that with the blue buttony thingy you found in that wreckage - y'know, the one that made Owen cluck like a chicken?"

"Oi!"

Jack turned, and there was Owen Harper - and Toshiko Sato - sat in the back of the SUV. His stomach knotted in loss and fear - what was going on?

"It's Jack's fault. He changed the bloody settings. The first time, it made me do back flips."

Tosh gave a small laugh. "Actually Owen, he didn't changed the settings ..."

The two women laughed, and Suzie glanced worriedly at Jack. "You okay, Jack? What've you got on your coat?" she asked.

Jack glanced down, and saw he was still covered in the alien vomit. "I ... yeah ... It's just ... I'll get Ianto to sort it ... I didn't expect ... where are we?"

"Erm ... in the SUV?" suggested Owen.

"Yeah ... yeah ... but ... when are we?"

"Are you okay?" Suzie repeated. "Who's Ianto?"

Jack blinked. "What year is it?"

"2005."

"Shit."

"What's wrong?" asked Toshiko, frowning and leaning forward.

"It would appear I've fallen backwards through time ... and ... I didn't even leave the SUV ..."

"Backwards? How? What year did you come from?" asked Suzie, putting on the indicator to pull off the motorway.

"2009."

"Cool!" exclaimed Owen. "Do we have hover cars by then?"

Toshiko elbowed him. Jack was fighting back emotion - he was so happy to see them, but he was instantly panicking over losing Ianto and Gwen ...

He blinked, and it was day time again. The SUV was parked just after where Suzie had pulled off in 2005, hazard lights clicking. Gwen was stood outside, covered in alien goo and staring around her as if looking for something. Ianto was a little way behind, almost frantic. Pulling himself together, Jack climbed out of the car.

"Oh my God! There you are! What happened?" Gwen cried, flinging her arms around him. "One second you were there and then we blinked and you were ... you were gone ... IANTO!"

Ianto had already spotted him and was running as fast as he could back to the car. "What the hell, Jack? What happened? I was so worried! Gwen: you drive. I'm going to check back all our equipment and see if I can find an explanation ..."

Gwen did as she was told, moving the carrier bags from the back seat to the front and making sure she got no goo in the car. Jack climbed back into the front, still a little shocked. He could hear Ianto typing away, and couldn't get the image of Toshiko having sat right there only moments before - well, technically four years before, but only moments for him.

"There was a spike." Ianto finally said. "Well, there were two. I'm guessing one when you went, one when you came back."

"Yeah." Jack agreed, non-commitally.

"Where did you go?" asked Gwen.

"Nowhere, really. I ... I was just in the SUV, only four years before now."

"How do you know it was four years?"

"I asked Suzie. And they didn't know who Ianto was."

"Did you see Toshiko and Owen?" Ianto asked quietly.

"Yeah." Jack smiled.

"How ... how were they?"

"Like an old married couple - just with more sexual tension."

Both Ianto and Gwen gave a small laugh. Gathering his thoughts, Ianto spoke again.

"So ... why did the Rift take you and then bring you back?"

"I don't think it necessarily took me." Jack replied after a moment or two. "I didn't go through it. I know I didn't go through it. Maybe whatever happened just needed the energy of a spike to ... transport me? Or maybe it was an accidental fluctuation, and because I've been living under the Rift for so long I got caught up in it."

"Well ... whatever it was ... it was only three minutes, and you're back now."

"Yeah."

"And ... I'm going to record this ... and if it happens again ..."

"It won't."

"But if it does? What if it happens several times? What if you get trapped in the past?"

"Then I'll hang around until I can come back." Jack shrugged.

Ianto folded up the keyboard and sighed as Gwen began to take the SUV into the Torchwood garage. "GWEN!" he exclaimed suddenly. "You've got vomit all over the seats!"

"Sorry, Ianto ... I was trying not to, honest ..."

"You guys go on ahead." he told them as he got out. "I have seats to scrub." he added with a grumble.

Gwen felt a little guilty as she walked into the hub with Jack, especially now he was also singing his own personal rendition of "Ianto and Gwen, sitting in a tree".

She was so going to get him back for this.

"So ... you still Ianto's bitch then?" she asked casually.

Jack stopped and frowned at her.

"Who's Ianto?"

"Ianto? Ianto Jones? You've been shaggin' him for three years?"

Jack stared at her blankly. "Sorry ... why ... what was your name again?"

"Gwen ... Gwen Cooper ... we work for Torchwood ... hang on ... it's 2009."

"Shit."

"Yeah ... erm ... what year is it for you?"

"2001."

"Oh dear. Um ... does this happen often? Only you had another incident about half an hour ago ..."

"Jesus Gwen!" Jack exclaimed suddenly.

"What?"

"Don't go telling my past self the future! PARADOX!"

"Um ... sorry ... didn't think ..." she looked at her watch. "Are you ... back?"

"I think so ..."

"And you know who Ianto is?"

He gave her a pained look. "Why is that important?" he asked bitterly.

"It's 2009."

"Oh ... oh ..." Tears brimmed in his eyes. "Is he ... where is he? No ... I can't ... paradox ..."

The tears vanished in a couple of blinks, and running footsteps could be heard from down the hallway. "Jack!" called Ianto. "Jack!"

"Ianto!" Jack replied. "S'okay! I'm back ... just ... had a bit of a hop around ..."

"The Rift Monitor was going haywire!" Ianto panted.

"It's 2009." Gwen cut in.

"Good." replied Jack, folding his arms. "Ianto, leave the SUV for now. I think we need to all have a nice sit down and talk about this ..."

"What happened for you, Jack?" asked Gwen eventually.

"How do you mean?"

"Well ... the first time ... you disappeared completely. This time ... you were still here. The 'you' changed, but you were still physically here, and still the looked same."

Jack lead them to the conference room. "What years did I come from?" he asked.

"2001 and some point in the future - I think you still knew me, but when I mentioned Ianto ..."

And uneasy silence fell. Jack glanced at Ianto.

"Thanks for that, Gwen." Ianto eventually sighed. "A future when he knows you and not me. Spoilers or what ..."

Gwen bit her lip. "I'm sorry ... I didn't ... I didn't think ..."

"S'okay." mumbled Ianto.

They sat around the conference table, but Ianto didn't bother fetching coffee. He sat on Jack's right hand side as usual and waited for him to start.

"I went back to 2001." began Jack. "And I also went to a version of me from the future. I'm not sure of the exact date, but I'm guessing around 2012, because there were a lot of Olympic banners hanging around." His eyes met Ianto's and they both looked away from each other. "So what happened last time was a switch in consciousness - this consciousness being switched with others. Either that or my entire body was switched too fast for anyone to register ..."

"Your shirt changed colour." cut in Gwen. "You have your pale blue one on now, but the you from the past had a dark blue one and ... the one from the future ... it was dark purple."

Ianto fidgeted with his purple cuff and ignored the look Gwen gave it.

"Okay ... full body switch it is. So ... why did I completely disappear the first time?"

"Maybe the other you couldn't get through?" suggested Ianto. "Maybe your other self assumed you fell asleep for three minutes or so while trapped in limbo."

Jack nodded. "Maybe. I need to figure out why this is happening. I need to figure out how to stop it - otherwise ... the temptation to change things ... it might be too much ..." He and Ianto shared a look again, which Ianto quickly broke.

"I'll run some more tests on the Rift activity. See if there's any similarities ... and ... and I'll set up a cross-referencing programme so that it can identify it happening again and compare results ..."

"Okay." agreed Jack.

"I'll do a bit of research. Trawl through the databases - see if I can find anything similar in the digital Archives." suggested Gwen.

Ianto gave her a nod of approval. Digital Archives Gwen was allowed to touch. Physical Archives had a big, massive sign with a picture of Gwen and Jack on it with the word 'NO' written across it in red letters. Thus far the sign was purely metaphorical, but Ianto was looking into it.

"Ianto?" called Jack as he and Gwen got up to leave.

"Jack."

"You okay?"

"I'm ... fine ..." He tried giving a reassuring smile, but it didn't fool Jack, who folded him into his arms and clung tight.

"It's okay, Jack ..."

"You have to leave Torchwood." Jack told him. Ianto recognised that this wasn't a request. He was actually being told to leave. Jack broke the hug to stand back and look at him.

"No." scowled Ianto.

Jack bit his lip, then turned to walk away.

"Then ... then ... then you can consider yourself fired!"

FIN

*sniff*

I haz a chest infection.

I'm coughing up green goo like the 456.

(except mine doesn't magically clean itself up for the next lot)

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