Agent Fox Mulder (i_want_2) wrote in multi_fiction, @ 2008-12-23 19:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | doctor who, rated: adult, slash, torchwood, x-over |
Fic: Red Sky Morning 1/1 Torchwood/Doctor Who
Title: Red Sky Morning
Author: Lopaka Tanu
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Doctor Who.
Characters: Ianto, Owen, Jack, Lisa, Yvonne, Donna.
Words: 6140
Prompt: Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Ianto Jones.
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Pairing: Ianto/Owen
Rating: Adult
Warnings: Language, Violence, Sexual Descriptions.
Summary: Sorting the post was the highlight of his day.
Author's Note: Takes liberties with timeline, episodes, dialog; you'll understand why when you read.
______________________________________
"That's brilliant!" Her eyes lit up with in excitement over the realization they weren't going to die. After hours of seemingly slowly fading away, there was a chance.
Not that she would know the price until too late. But, what the hell, it was worth the effort. And it wasn't like he wouldn't be right back there with her. He was just going to be... "Rather like it myself."
Smiling at his own ingenuity, Ianto guided the woman by the shoulders over to her mark. "Now, stand right here, don't move!" When she tried to glance over her shoulder, he smacked her on the back of the head.
"Oi! What'd you do that for?" She reached up to rub at her head.
"I said no moving." He leaned in so that he whisper in her ear. "That means anywhere, at all, got that?"
"Yeah, get it, whatever. Just, get this over with, all right." Her sideways glance and voice promised retribution when they got out of this. She would do it too, if given the chance.
But it wasn't going to happen. Not this time. A smug grin flitted across his features. Stepping back, he withdrew the sonic screwdriver.
"Can we please get a little service here?" Snapping her fingers, the woman at the counter tried to draw his attention.
Frowning, Ianto glanced about him. The room was no where what it had been. He was now...back in the cubicle farm. Hearing someone clear their throat, he glanced over the desk to find a couple sitting in what must have been borrowed chairs.
Staring at them he adjusted his tie. "I'm sorry, may I help you with something?"
The man looked about to get irate, but the woman put out a hand upon his shoulder to silence him.
Sitting forward, she raised her chin so she could look down upon him. Quite a feat considering she was sitting and was consequently shorter than him. "Now, listen here you..."
"Insulting the help won't get you a wit further." Moving around Ianto, Markus not so subtly pushed Ianto away from the side of his desk. "Bugger off, Jones, can't you see there's customers waiting?" He smiled for the couple. "He's new, got the brains of a chimp, but makes a hell of a coffee. Would you like one?"
"Don't mind if I do." Smirking up at Ianto, the man enjoyed the way he dropped his eyes to avoid meeting the stare. "Two sugars, no cream. Marianne will have the same."
"I'll not." Adjusting the purse in her lap, the woman flipped open the pouch. "Just bring it straight black, I'll finish it myself!"
"You heard them, Jones." Markus held out his own mug. "The usual, make it quick."
Nodding, Ianto accepted the mug. "Yes, sir." He nodded to the couple, once each, then rushed out of cubicle. Ianto wasn't sure why he was even in there, it wasn't any where near his station.
He stopped at the corner of the last cubicle before the wall. The loo was to the left, his station was to the right. Glancing down at his hands, he checked for the wrist watch. On the band was an L.
Turning right, he found a small culdesac. Featured inside were: two coffee makers, a basin, a small fridge, a couple vending machines, the cleaning supply closet, the office supply cubbard, and his work station. It was little more than a couple shelves, two filing cabinets, a lamp, the corkboard, and a stool.
Still, it was his.
He made for the coffee machines. It would be little effort to ensure that their order was fulfilled. That wasn't the problem. No, his malfunction would be in making sure he remembered how to get back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The others were leaving. Ianto could tell by the fact their chatter was increasing in volume. He would never know what they discussed as he was never included in their discussions. That was okay, he had too much work left to do anyways. Really, his day didn't begin until they had left.
Walking over to the supply cubbard, he slid his key in to the lock. The door came open with an important sounding snick. That always made him feel special. It wasn't just anyone who had a key to the supply cubbard.
As the office manager, he was the one who saw to all the other's needs.
There, he checked off the supplies against his clipboard. They were running low on regulation size paper clips. An few more tablets of postits wouldn't go remiss either. Other than that, and the highliters, he was in the black. Closing the cubbard, he locked it back.
Ianto walked back to his main shelf. Pulling the supply ledger from the upper shelf, he opened it up to the right section and began filling out the company requisition forms. In the morning, he would submit it to Ms. Hartman for final authorization.
If she approved, he would be cut a check from booking on the tenth floor, and he could get those needed supplies. It made him feel good that he was one step closer to securing his position. Not every person could handle such responsibility.
Jed, cubicle thirteen, left, would most likely over order on things like liquid paper. While a useful tool under certain circumstances, it held no place in the busy world of Torchwood. They hadn't become the top technologies firm in London by fudging over documents. If one made a mistake, one did it over completely!
That was only the proper thing to do.
Every line was to be filled out, every T crossed. Efficiency, while the others laughed at him, had gotten Ianto Jones to his glorious post. Office Manager of the second floor, small business software, practical application division.
Standing there holding his pen tightly to his chest, Ianto knew how smart he looked. His suit was spotless, the lamp backlit him, his hair was properly combed! No one would find fault with him or his actions.
Finishing out the paperwork, Ianto removed the form and shut the ledger. After making sure to carefully put it back, he reached out and shut off his lamp.
Now came the most important part.
He walked over to the cleaning supply closet. The bin bags were in a roll on the shelf just inside. Pulling off one, he put them back on their shelf and closed the door.
Turning slowly, he glanced about the Imperial Library of Khode. So many books, so many manuscripts, so much dust. He could be there an age and still not find what he was looking for. Hadn't the Khode ever heard of modernizing things?
What he wouldn't give for a card catalog at the very least. It was a primitive concept hit upon by most species, but the Luddite Khode hated even that much improvement. Hell, it was only the skin of his teeth that he had gotten out of being burned for having arrived in the TARDIS.
Clapping his hands, he began to rub them together. "Right, let's get to it then." He glanced about, trying to figure out a place to start. There wasn't any rhyme or reason he could decipher.
So, he strolled to the closest table. It was covered in ancient leather books. Blowing the dust from the cover, he began to scan the title. His hearts almost skipped a critical beat. That was really quite an impossible feat, but it was true. They had almost come to a stop for just a moment.
He had found it.
Right there. On top. First thing he picked up.
Oh, he was absolutely brilliant!
Smiling, Ianto dropped the bag, now completely filled with rubbish, inside the opened incinerator shoot. Letting it close, he dusted off his hands, then fixed his tie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The black cab deposited him in front of the his building. A ten spot to the driver insured good will. Umbrella in hand, he walked up the front stones.
Letting himself in the house, Ianto still felt a little strange. He had grown up in a flat, had gotten one when he moved out of his parents' place. Never in his life, until he had met his doctor, had he even set food inside a house.
Now, he not only lived in one, his name was on the mortgage agreement. His set his heart a fluttering with so much pride, he felt his cheeks burn. Ianto knew that his life could be so much worse. It had been bad for so long.
Indeed, he was very fortunate.
And he was grateful, no one would ever pry one negative word about his life past his lips. The others may scoff, call him many a negative moniker, but he knew. Ianto knew. He was not only better than them, he was better off.
With clear conviction and a raised chin, Ianto deposited his umbrella in the stand. He knelt down, untying first one shoe, then the other. Taking them off, he carried them over to the front closet.
Owen made it clear how he felt about shoe scuff marks in the hall. Ianto knew all to well how hard it was to clean the polished marble and readily agreed. Shoes were best left in the front closet along with jackets and over coats. After all, it was large and there for a reason!
That done, he padded in his stockings towards the kitchen. The timer was about to go off. If he didn't add the potatoes now, they wouldn't be done in time for Owen to get home. Owen liked his potatoes just this side of soft. They had to have a strong consistency, else he would sit there and scowl through the entire meal.
It wouldn't be Ianto's fault, he knew. The scowling started long before Owen got home. But mushy potatoes would do nothing to alleviate the problem. No, if he did it just right, got the whole thing done to perfection, Owen would smile.
That little bit of cheer was what Ianto lived for.
Owen was such an important doctor in the city. He deserved to be pampered, even if it was just potatoes cooked properly. Grabbing the potatoes from the basket over the sink where he had left them to dry that morning, he placed them on a cutting board. A knife from the drawer made quick work of them.
His mother had made sure that Ianto knew how to properly prepare a meal. She knew, had known, that he would make some man happy one day.
His mum had wanted a girl. His dad had wanted a proper lad.
They were stuck with him. When his mum had discovered those 'images' under his bed, she had cried. Stirring the now sliced, but unpeeled red potatoes in to the stew, Ianto could still feel the crushing blow of seeing her sitting there. He had thought she were devastated.
When she had looked up at him so proud, he nearly shite himself.
Turns out, a poofter was what she had been yearning for since she found out he was a boy. Well, that had certainly taken a load off his shoulders, but his father had taken to drinking in the pub more often after that. It wasn't his fault, but Ianto understood the need.
And after all, he eventually had come around. Landing himself a doctor had certainly put a smile on the old man's mug.
"So you're the Doctor?" The pretty little blonde girl with the big smile had just stared at him. "Doctor of what?"
Grinning, Ianto felt no need to answer. "Sorry 'bout that, but apparently they don't like it when I get in their way."
"That's okay." Pushing back the hair behind her ear, she glanced around them. That was understandable. It wasn't every day that plastic aliens tried to kill you. "So, was any of that back there real, or have I just gone completely nutters?"
"A little of both, I suspect." His black leather jacket was tore on the right sleeve, he could feel a little draft. Sighing, Ianto reached up to run a hand over his short hair. He still wasn't quite used to this new appearance. For starters, it was by far the tallest he had ever been.
That certainly put everything in to a new perspective.
The girl suddenly snickered. "Hi, Doctor Whoever, my name is Rose Tyler." She was still breathing a little heavy after all that running.
"I know." Facing the girl once more, he plastered on a big dopey smile. "Hello, Rose!"
Humming to himself, Ianto tapped the spoon against the inside of the crock. That done, he put the lid back on it and left it finish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patting a hand over his stomach, Owen sat back. A quick second later, he opened his mouth to release a window shaking burp. He smirked at Ianto across the table. "That was quite good."
"I'm glad you approve." And he was. Feeling extremely pleased, Ianto dipped his spoon in the last scoop of chocolate ice cream. He had been nursing the bowl for about ten minutes, enjoying the texture as well as the flavor. It was a rare treat that he allowed himself this, considering the nausea it caused him.
Reaching in to the small silver tray next to his drink, Owen pulled out the two mints. They would settle any acid from digestion and leave his breath smelling good. "You've thought of everything."
"Not quite, but I tried." Swallowing a spoonful, Ianto tugged on his bottom lip. He had forgotten how much he liked Wednesdays. Owen always wore the blue, shiny suit on Wednesday. That meant under it, he wore black bikini briefs.
Ianto would die for those underwear when he wore them. They showed off everything.
Closing his eyes, Ianto bit back on a whimper. Oh, the chocolate ice cream had been a mistake, but it tasted so good. Leaving off the rest, he pushed aside his bowl. He quickly grabbed the mints from his tray. Chewing them up, he washed them down with the cold apple cider.
The cider, being bubbly, had the pleasant effect of making him feel a little loose. He was certain Owen knew this and delighted in purchasing it for him. That, combined with the suit/underwear, and the way he was smirking made Ianto's body temperature rise.
Standing up, Ianto tugged on the collar of his own dress shirt. "Leave the dishes, I will gather them after I start your bath."
Flashing Ianto a wide grin, Owen curled a finger towards him.
Unable to resist, Ianto whimpered. Oh, he knew he could try it, but there was just some thing so magnetic about the ugly little Englishman. With too wide a mouth and sharp cheek bones, he was so ugly it was fascinating. It set his two hearts beating fast.
Once at Owen's side, he waited for the other man to turn the chair to face him. The expectant tug on his tie came with a little more force than usual. Even that sent a thrill of pleasure down Ianto's spine.
As he knelt down, he spread Owen's thighs. He kept his eyes on the other man's face the entire time. Sliding his fingers up the inside of Owen's legs, he reached his zipper. Ianto almost lost control at that moment, snatching the offending thing down.
At last, he found them. Those beautiful black bikini bottoms. Much as he hoped, Owen's cock was already straining them against them. He heard a breathy chuckle, but soon lost himself in the black material.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Curled up in the tub, Ianto let his head rest upon Owen's chest. It was more a small pool than a tub, and took two water heaters to fill. Still, so long as Owen was willing to foot the bill, he was willing to take advantage of both.
Letting his index finger twirl around Owen's nipple, Ianto could hear him chuckle. He knew the other man was extremely ticklish in his relaxed state. After two orgasms in one night, he was practically floating. The moment Owen's head hit the pillow, he would be softly snoring.
Ianto loved Wednesdays.
Drowsing against the back of the tub, Owen slid a hand down Ianto's back to cup his hip. "I had an interesting proposal this morning."
"Oh?" Ianto knew it was not something work related. It would have been the first thing Owen discussed when he came in the door that evening. That meant it was 'her' yet again.
"Her name is Katie, she's a resident and blonde." A wistful smile upon his lips, Owen allowed the hand on Ianto's hip to begin playing with the skin and hair.
Snorting, Ianto turned to press a kiss against the wet skin of Owen's chest. "Sounds like she's much to good for you."
"Possibly." Allowing Ianto to slide up his body, Owen stared him directly in the eyes. There was nothing but amusement to be seen in his lover's gaze. "What? You don't think I could get her?"
"Explain to Miss Katie, yet again, that I will exterminate her if she does not leave what is mine alone." Shifting his legs under him, he raised up so that he could straddle Owen's hips. By now, he could feel the other man's half hard cock against his bottom.
Leaning forward, Ianto pressed a kiss to the side of Owen's neck. "Exterminate." He pulled up a little to kiss along his jawline. "Exterminate." Hot, pruned hands came up along his spine to trace the curve of his back. "Exterminate."
"As much as I'm thoroughly enjoying this, I've to get up in a few hours." Owen grasped Ianto under his arms, pulling him away. This had only the half desired effect as the man slowly ground himself down upon his cock. "Not again, I beg you."
"Tomorrow morning." With a kiss of promise, Ianto rose up out of the bath. He let the water sloosh off his body, draining down his legs, his cock in Owen's face. "Wait here for me. I'll be in to towel you off in a minute."
"Fine." Sliding down, Owen drifted further in to the water. He sent ripple towards Ianto's legs as the other man climbed out.
Wrapping a towel around his waist, Ianto could hear the mechanical whirring of an eye stalk.
"Pathetic creature, fornicating with the humans! Disgusting! Your species will be exterminated and Daleks shall reign supreme!" It narrowed the shutter of its blue eye, glaring at him from its prison. The chain wrapped around it prevented the creature from moving far.
Ianto knew he had nothing to fear, the pathetic creature had been declawed over a century ago. He had almost reconsidered vacationing on Lyssa when he had seen the thing. Then, he had heard its ramblings and instantly changed his mind.
Unfolding the cloth from around his waist, he spun to shake his hard cock at it. Making it bounce, he pointed the tip directly at the Dalek. "Your species will be exterminated." He thrust his hips forward. "Exterminate!" Another thrust. "Exterminate!" A final thrust. "Exterminate!"
The eye shutter went wide as the lights on the helmet lit up. "Blasphemy! You will suffer for this insolence!" The nub where the weapon had been twitched impotently. "I will destroy you, Timelord!"
Cackling like mad, Ianto held his stomach. He was still shaking his head as he went to put the dishes in the washer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday morning dawned bright and early in the second floor. Ianto, having been there for an hour already, had the coffee of each member ready and waiting for them on his little cart. He would receive no thanks for his efforts, but there were other things in life.
Someone had to make sure these people didn't lose their heads.
The lift dinged before the doors opened. Ianto piled on a smile for the people stepping off. He automatically began handing out mugs. The people who stumbled past resembled nothing short of zombies as they accepted his offering.
Oh well. Handing off the last mug, he turned to grasp the handle on his cart.
A throat cleared within the lift car.
Curious, Ianto glanced back to see who remained behind. Seeing Ms. Hallet, he waved at her, but nothing else. She seemed uncomfortably fond of him for some unfathomable reason. He had never gone out of his way to be friendly or encourage her.
Owen seemed to find the entire situation amusing.
He started to go back to pushing his cart when he sensed her step off the lift. Sighing, he turned to face her. "What can I do for you today, Ms. Hallet?"
"Ianto." She tried to appear professional, but the goofy grin she gave him left no doubt of her intention. "How many times must I ask you to call me Lisa?"
"It is not proper." Confounding Ianto, this seemed to amuse her, making her laugh.
Reaching out, she placed a hand upon his arm. "Ianto."
Jerking his arm free, Ianto glared at the Cyberman. He would never allow them such free rein with him. Not especially since they could kill with a single touch.
Stepping back, he adjusted the lapels of his suit jacket. "There is no need to touch the suit, I am going along." If he could only get his sonic screwdriver once more, they would only be a small matter to deal with. Until then, he had to play nice.
He only hoped that Rose could stay out of sight until then.
Shaking his head, Ianto pulled his arm out of Lisa's touch. She was no Cyberman, but she wasn't far off in his opinion. "If you will excuse me, I have to get back to work." It wasn't a complete lie, he could smell his coffee bubbling in the tanks.
Checking his wrist watch, he made sure he was making the correct turn as he pushed the cart away from her. He could hear her sigh behind him, but it was her own fault. Ianto had never given her any sign more than a cheerful wave and smile.
But, apparently, even that was too much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time noon rolled around, Ianto was almost ready to go home. Today had been extremely trying for his much vaunted filing system. It seemed no one, absolutely no one, could put back what they had taken where it had come from. Why they were even in his paper files was a mystery. Everything contained within was already on their computer.
As a matter of fact, these were printed copies of what was found on their computers.
There was only one set of files not found in the computer. His requisition forms. Those had to be signed, so they were all done by hand. But no one had bothered to touch those.
No, everything misplaced were company common files. Some were even out right missing. That was the biggest pain. Of course, he had back ups, but that required time printing, inspecting for flaws, sorting, arranging and eventual filing. If he hadn't been watching the feeds, he might have suspected Ms. Hallet.
Still, he knew better than that. She was merely misguided, not crazy. He knew someone more sinister, or just plain thoughtless, was behind this. Possibly Mary Kay, cubicle nine, left, but she was too busy having an affair with Eric, cubicle eight, right.
There were too many suspects for him to lay blame on any one person.
Selecting the proper files on his laptop, he sent them to print. The machine across the office came to life with a mechanical click. As he got up, he could hear pages being printed out quickly, still warm from the laser light.
He opened the office supply cubbard so he could pull out a box of files. He would need at least ten. Sighing, he could already picture the new requisition form. Paper, files, a new dust cloth for the printer. Ms. Hartman was going to have his head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stumbling over his own two feet, Ianto waved away the smoke. In all his years traveling with the TARDIS, he had never screwed up this badly. He was definitely going to be working on fixing her for a few days. Oh well, it would give the dancing Captain a chance to flirt with his Rose.
Where to start?
Glancing about, Ianto tried to find a good place. Realizing the extent of the damage did nothing to alleviate the growing sense of exhaustion. There was just too much work for him to think about. The only solution was to just start doing it.
That brought him back to looking for a place to start. Everything was so interconnected it required you to do seven things at once just to repair one part. The timer was as good a place as any. So, the timer it was!
Shedding his leather coat, Ianto walked over to the control panel. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with outside, so the inner parts were probably broken. A little tinkering with his sonic screwdriver would handle that, though.
Shoving the last of the replaced files in his cabinet, Ianto closed it with a sigh. The metallic thump of the drawer closing echoed in the near empty office. The lunch break was almost over, soon people would begin tumbling back in.
Honestly, he couldn't imagine what they did over their lunch breaks that was so exhausting, but apparently not a single person could simply walk back to their cubicle from the lift. Ianto secretly entertained himself with the thought that they were all having one large orgy on the eighth floor. If true, it would have been the most action these people ever had.
Not that he would know.
His lunches were usually spent cleaning up for the second half of the day between quickly eating his meal. Today, they would simply have to clean up their own messes. Not that any of those pigs would ever notice!
Glancing over his shoulder, Ianto glared at the cubicles. Humans were capable of great things, but these dregs only seemed to do just enough to earn their paychecks. Most, however, not even that.
It was a sad state of affairs that.
The lift dinged, dragging Ianto from his musings.
Glancing up, Ianto decided to do a head count just to make sure he really needed to start a second pot of coffee. Surprisingly, none of his usual people stepped off the lift car.
The man glanced about the office for a second, then frowned. Apparently not finding what he had been searching for, he turned to get back on the lift. Only, the doors seemed to have it out for him and had already closed.
Filling up a spare mug with coffee, Ianto decided to investigate. If he could help the man find his way, it would spare him and whomever he was searching for a headache. Walking up the central isle, he cleared his throat.
The man hesitated only for a second. Affixing a half smile, the moment he saw Ianto, it grew in size. "Why, hello there."
"Hello, Jack." His twin hearts started to beat in unison. Heat flamed up Ianto's cheeks. Holding up the mug, held it out for Jack to take. "May I help you?"
Accepting the mug, Jack stepped in closer to Ianto. "I see you know my name, but that leaves me at a loss." His eyes flicked over Ianto's suit. Twitching his head to the side, he made a sound of appreciation. "I've been here a dozen times. How did I miss you?"
"That is not, in fact, the truth." Ianto pointed to the floor sign above the lift entrance. "You are on the second floor, in the two years I have been assigned office manager, you have not once appeared in this office."
"Good memory." Licking his lips, Jack slowed so that he was only a hare's breath away from Ianto. "What else do you have up in that sexy head of yours?"
"Careful, sir, that's sexual harassment." Far from discouraging the lusty man, this only seemed to lead him. Much to Ianto's displeasure, Jack reached up to place hand on hip. A quick thump knocked the offending appendage away. "Honestly, I have no idea what she sees in you."
"Oh, you never know with women." Not to be put off so quickly, Jack raised the mug to his lips. Watching Ianto over the rim, he stuck out his tongue to lick the rim. He took a quick sip, then moaned as he swallowed. "That's very good."
"It should be. Anything less is unsatisfactory." Stepping around the Captain, Ianto made sure to give him a wide berth. One quick game of grab ass in the TARDIS' control room was more than enough to last a life time, even one as long as his.
At the lift controls, he hit the up button. As he waited for it to arrive, he turned to face Jack again. Give the man even a small opening and he'd find away to fit his entire body in it. Just as he had suspected, the captain had been sneaking up on him. A raised eyebrow was the only response Ianto gave him.
Finishing off the coffee, Jack handed the mug back to him. He made a great deal of swallowing, then licking his lips. Smirking at Ianto, he chuckled breathily. "You're very good at this. If you're not careful, I might be forced to abduct you."
"When it comes to traveling with you, once was enough, Jack." The lifted dinged, followed by the doors opening. Ianto held up his hand to point inside. "Take the lift to the fifty-third floor."
Staring at Ianto, it took Jack a second to realize he had said something. Seeing the lift car, he sighed. He strutted past Ianto on to the lift, making sure to flare his great coat as he spun to face him. Hitting the button, he leaned against the console. "I'll be sure to stop by on my way back down."
"In that case, take your time." Ianto allowed triumph to show on his face at Jack's sigh. When the lift doors started to close, something occurred to him. "Don't let anything happen to her, Jack."
Snickering, Jack gave Ianto a last glance over. "Who?"
"Rose." Then the doors closed. Satisfied they would be all right, Ianto turned back to his work with the TARDIS. Carrying the empty mug, he checked to see where he had left off. There wasn't much left to do, still, the old girl wasn't quite functioning yet.
Possibly the time stabilizer, but that hadn't worked properly in an age. He knew he would have to craft a new one, but the materials were so hard to come by in any time. He knew of a trader on Delvos Prime that might be able to get him them for a good price.
A ding from the lift dragged Ianto from his thoughts of repairs. Halfway to his station, he glanced back to see how many were arriving. After Jack, the coffee storage was one mug less.
Speaking of the Devil.
Jack stepped off the lift. Glancing about quickly, he found Ianto. Upon locating him, he rushed up the main isle. His steps quickly brought him to Ianto's side.
Curious, Ianto watched him approach. "May I help you?"
For several heart beats, Jack only stared at Ianto. He seemed so lost, his face creased with stress lines. Gone were the bedroom eyes and seductive smiles. Clearing his throat, he eventually reached up to place a hand upon Ianto's arm. "Doctor?"
"Yes?" It slipped out before Ianto could even register that it wasn't really his name. Those were only fantasies, dreams for him and him alone.
The sun seemed to burst forth for Jack. Smiling and laughing, he wrapped Ianto up in his tight embrace. "Oh, god, I thought...I thought!" Then he was pounding Ianto on the back, squeezing him even tighter.
Embarrassed, Ianto could only ineffectually hit at Jack's side with the mug. He glanced about for some help, but remembered there wasn't anyone else. "Jack, you're crushing me."
It took several seconds for his words to register in Jack's mind. When eventually they did, he slowly eased up, but kept his hold. Moving back a half pace, let his hands slide up Ianto's back to grasp his shoulders. "I have missed you so much."
"Yes, yes. But, it is only eight floors." Ianto tried to straighten his tie and jacket, but Jack's hands tightened on his shoulders. Looking up, he found the man staring at him with a frozen expression. "What?"
"Doctor." When Ianto merely blinked, Jack's face went blank. "What happened to you?"
"I am me, as I have always been." Reaching up, he took hold of one of Jack's hands. He dragged it across his chest to place above his heart. "One, as it should be. There is no TARDIS, no flying about in time. It was only a dream." Ianto tried to give him a reassuring smile, but this only seemed to upset him more.
Staring at his hand in horror, Jack couldn't bring himself to let go. He swallowed, then flicked his eyes back up at Ianto's face. "How did this happen? In your dreams, what brought you to being who you are now?" Jack took a quick breath. "Please, tell me."
"Very well." What could it hurt? Ianto had lived it a thousand times. "In the dreams, at the very end, I saved a single life at the cost of my own. I gave her everything that made her who I am."
"Her who?" Jack sounded so heart broken.
This caused Ianto's single heart to twinge. "Her name was Donna." Smiling, he tried once again to make Jack feel better. "Cheer up, it was only a dream." Reaching up, he dusted off the shoulder of Jack's coat. "Best get moving, Ms. Hartman can be a real killing machine when she's on the war path."
Closing his eyes, Jack seemed to be in a great deal of pain. Still, he nodded. In a quick move, he gathered up Ianto in a great hug, squeezing him tight.
Eyes bulging, Ianto gasped for breath. He would be glad to be rid of one Captain Jack. The man was a serious dangerous to his ability to breathe. Eventually, he was released.
Stepping back before the man decided to attack him again, Ianto moved quickly to get to his work station. There wouldn't be much time before the others started arriving. He knew there wasn't enough coffee now, so he had to start more.
Washing the one mug in the basin, he heard the lift ding. For some reason that caused a tickle at the back of his throat. Reaching up, he wiped at the corner of his eye with the back of his hand. He set the mug to dry in the rack above the basin, then wiped his hand off on the dish towel.
Glancing over to his right, Ianto found the continuum timer blinking. It had been the time stabilizer after all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Requisition slip in hand, Ianto stepped off the lift. The fifty-third floor wasn't all that gloomy, no matter what anyone said. Sure, all the plastic sheeting down towards the unfinished section was a little horror filmish, but that gave it personality in his opinion. He headed towards the corridor he knew housed Ms. Hartman's office.
Her door was closed when he stopped at it. Reaching up, he rapped upon it three times before waiting.
"Enter."
Smiling, Ianto turned the knob and walked in.
Yvonne was sitting at her desk, fingers pounding on the computer keys. "Just set it down on the desk, Mr. Jones. I'll sign it when I'm through." She cast him a quick smile before going back to her work.
Nodding, Ianto moved forward and set the paper on her desk. He would get it back in the morning, then. "Good night, Ms. Hartman."
She smiled, but kept her attention on the computer screen. "Good night, Mr. Jones. Give my best to your Owen."
"I will." Walking out, he closed the door behind him.
Heading back towards the lift, he glanced over at the unfinished section. One day, very soon, there would be an accident in that area. It would take six months, but the repairs would ensure something worse didn't happen.
Ianto wondered just what the hell these people had been thinking. The problem would be solved, so it didn't matter. Shrugging, he put it from his mind. If he hurried, he could stop by the market and pick up some shrimp. After last week, Owen had switched their Thursday meals from pork to seafood.
THE END....................................