hel_bee | Torchwood Fic: Lynchpin (7/7)

Title: Lynchpin (7/7) Finished!
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: R/NC17
Warning: None
Spoilers: 1.04: Cyberwoman. Set after 2.09 but before series finale. Passing references to events throughout both series but nothing really that spoilery.
Summary: Torchwood Four want their lynchpin back. Just what has that got to do with Ianto Jones?
Beta:

rakina
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em – unfortunately

Links previous parts:
Chapter 1 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/21730.html#cutid1
Chapter 2 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/21983.html
Chapter 3 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/22206.html
Chapter 4 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/22346.html
Chapter 5 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/22782.html
Chapter 6 - http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/22878.html

Chapter Seven

Snippet: Jack opened his mouth to argue, but Ianto silenced him with a kiss. “It’s called sarcasm, Jack. I don’t believe the self-deprecation – I know this place would collapse without me.”

Jack supposed he ought to act with some sort of mutual camaraderie as Henshaw was preparing to leave. But he hadn't become the leader of Torchwood Three and travelled the universe by doing the things he ought to. In addition, he was being forced to listen to the overly sentimental outpourings from the other members of Torchwood Four towards Ianto. His lover, never particularly demonstrative, looked as uncomfortable as Jack felt. Both of them, he believed, would be glad to have the normal order of the Hub restored, even if the upheaval had only lasted a matter of hours.

Henshaw had finally released Ianto from his, in Jack’s opinion, quite unnecessary embrace and stood with his hands on Ianto’s shoulders. “We’ll keep in touch.”

Ianto smiled. “It’s not like I can’t feel where you all are. In fact, Philip, just why did you come to the Hub? You could’ve contacted me directly and saved me a hell of a lot of explaining.”

Jack could tell Ianto was joking, but it was a valid question. And while he didn’t necessarily try to eavesdrop on his employees’ conversations he couldn’t help overhearing things if they happened to be in earshot. “Maybe I wanted to annoy the captain.”

“Or maybe you knew you would actually need Torchwood Three’s help,” said Ianto, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

“Perhaps,” said Philip noncommittally. “But it’ll be a cold day on the astral plane before I admit that.”

“You’re actually a lot like him: stubborn, egotistical and so full of bravado that I’m surprised you don’t explode.”

“Oi,” called Jack, a little hurt, “I heard that!”

Jack held his hand out to Henshaw. “I can’t say it’s been a pleasure...”

“No, it hasn’t,” replied Henshaw with a grin as they shook hands. “And don’t worry, we won’t be back soon.”

Hours later, post-weevil hunting and subsequent mop up, Jack handed Ianto a glass of malt whisky and invited down to his quarters. The Hub was quiet apart from the whirring of computers and the occasional sleepy mutter from the pterodactyl who sounded like she was dreaming about catching sheep. Jack sat down on his bed and patted the mattress next to him, inviting Ianto to sit.

“You could have gone with them, you know?” he said quietly, watching Ianto carefully for his reaction.

Ianto sipped his whisky, licking his lips afterwards. “And why would I have wanted to do that?”

“You’re their lynchpin. They need you.”

“No they don’t,” said Ianto firmly. “I’ve done my job; if I went with them I would be in the way, a liability. And if I’m going to hang around somewhere being under-utilized, it might as well be here – least I know the sex is good.”

Jack opened his mouth to argue, but Ianto silenced him with a kiss. “It’s called sarcasm, Jack. I don’t believe the self-deprecation – I know this place would collapse without me.”

“And I wouldn’t fare too well without you either.”

Jack yelped at the sharp poke to his ribs. “Less of that rubbish, Captain,” warned Ianto. “I don’t need the hearts and flowers sentiment.”

Jack grabbed Ianto, pushing him back on the mattress, pinning him down. “So what do you need?” he growled, his lips making their way down the exciting column of flesh known as Ianto’s neck.

“You. Hard and fast. I want you to fuck me.”

Clothes were discarded, more skin revealed and worshiped and, despite Ianto’s demand ‘to get the fuck on with it’, Jack teased his lover, driving him wild and to the brink of incoherency. Ianto rambled in a mix of Welsh and English, demanding and forthright, telling Jack what he wanted. Succumbing to Ianto’s delightful begging, Jack sank into his lover, relishing his heat and passion. Tonight wasn’t for gentle lovemaking and words of comfort. Tonight was about territory and ownership. As Jack fucked Ianto, the lines blurred and he couldn't tell just who possessed who. Ianto cried out in pleasure as he came, and Jack drove into him again and again, until he too could no longer hold off his orgasm, crying out a stream of profanities as the world exploded behind his eyes.

They managed to find a position where they both lay comfortably in Jack’s small bed, something borne of practice and Ianto’s refusal to let Jack leave him after sex. Ianto’s head rested on Jack’s chest and Jack gently stroked his hair. “No going to sleep,” he chided, “there’s still things we need to talk about.”

Ianto groaned but looked up at him. “What do you want know?”

Jack thought back on all he had learnt about Ianto in the last twenty-four hours. So much to take in, to understand and process. Jack knew he had no right to question Ianto on keeping so much of his past hidden, but he couldn’t leave some things unasked. “Just how much of your staff file is false?”

“Oh, most of the early stuff, I’d say. Apart from my name and place of birth,” he said happily, “and the conviction for shoplifting – only when I did it, the authorities didn’t see it as such a minor offence – hence the prison sentence.

“But it’s been pretty accurate since I joined Torchwood One – if you ignore my involvement with Torchwood Four. Best to hide the lies within truth.”

Jack squeezed him tighter, wanting to show that he didn’t really mind. “There is one thing...”

“He is Gallifreyan. That is what you want to know isn’t it?”

“But...”

Ianto sat up and straddled Jack, making sure he was staring directly into Jack’s eyes. “Listen, I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not a Time Lord. I’m a mistake of genetics and a time distortion. My grandfather is still, for the most part, mystified how he managed to get my grandma pregnant – her being part Carrionite probably helped.”

“Carrionite? Really?” said Jack, sporting a doubtful expression. “What the hell was going on, some alien swingers’ party I wasn’t invited to?”

Ianto laughed. “Apparently they met while searching for ley lines in Snowdonia. But grandma had a human father, so she wasn’t brought up in whole witchcraft and distorting physics environment. Mind you, she did hate Shakespeare with a passion.”

“No wonder you’re not exactly normal.”

“Pot calling kettle,” Ianto teased playfully, delivering a gentle punch to Jack’s shoulder.

“So just how different are you?”

Ianto sighed. “I’m not like him, if that’s what you mean. I can’t regenerate, but I will live a long time – as long as I don’t get myself killed.”

“How long?” Jack asked, his voice cracking.

“I don’t know for sure, several hundred years at least we reckon.”

Jack was tired and his brain was barely coping to keep up, but one idea just wouldn’t leave him alone. “Do I know him?”

“Yes,” Ianto said carefully, “but it’s not the Doctor.”

Jack sat up with jolt, Ianto yelped as he was knocked backwards. “The Master!”

“Well, I’ve only ever known him as granddad,” said Ianto in a tone that was clearly meant to lighten the mood. “Though I will admit his appearance has changed from time to time.”

“Ianto,” warned Jack. “This is not funny.”

Ianto sat back his heels and glared at Jack intently. “Jesus, Jack, think about it. Why didn’t Saxon just have us all shot instead of sending us to the Himalayas? He wanted me safe and out of the way – that’s why.”

“But he’s a psychopath.”

“I agree, but he is family.” Ianto knelt up and stroked Jack’s face. “I can’t take back the things he did to you... I will understand if you can’t do this anymore.”

“What? No!” Jack grabbed Ianto tightly, realising exactly what Ianto meant. For all his resentment and hatred for the Master, there was no way Ianto’s heritage would rob him of his lover. “I’m not letting you go.”

Ianto chuckled, his hot breath tickling Jack's ear. “I don’t think I’ll be bringing you home to meet granddad any time soon. I don’t think he’ll approve of you somehow.”

Jack pushed Ianto gently away, but not releasing him. There was something Jack had to tell him, he couldn’t let Ianto believe the Master was still alive. “There’s no easy way to say this. But you do know he’s dead, don’t you?”

Ianto smiled ruefully. “So he’d like the Doctor to believe. But I got postcard from Terileptus about three weeks ago. Saying that he was coping with the new teeth, was not impressed with being ginger and hoped I’d had a good birthday.”

“But... I saw...”

“You saw what he wanted you to see. That’s the trouble with Time Lords – they’re sneaky bastards.”

Ianto settled back down and spooned up against Jack. “Enough for tonight. What’s past is past, and I’ve no intention of creating a paradox just so you can have a set of in-laws that won’t want to kill you.”

Jack laughed and relished the warmth that Ianto’s body gave him. True, he had a rather unusual lover, but he could have said that before he knew about Ianto’s Gallifreyan and Carrionite lineage. Ianto Jones was a remarkable man: one quarter Time Lord; lynchpin to Torchwood Four; custodian of Torchwood Three. And Jack Harkness wasn’t about to let him go.

FIN

Want to read the sequel? Here's Constant: http://hel-bee.livejournal.com/23390.html

Author’s notes: Read if you dare LOL!

INCLUDING POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR FRAGMENTS

This story was inspired by two things I couldn’t get out of my mind. Firstly, in the Dr Who episode The Last of the Time Lords why didn’t Saxon just dispose of Torchwood Three – permanently? After all they are a secret organisation; it would be unlikely that anyone would kick up a fuss (with the Doc and Jack in custody), so why bother sending them to the Himalayas – just shoot them and pretend they went! If I was an evil mastermind, that’s what I would have done. I got to thinking wouldn’t it be great if Saxon had an ulterior motive for keeping them alive. You can see where this is going, can’t you? Yep, that’s why I made Ianto his grandson.

Secondly, in Fragments, Ianto is referred to as a drifter and nothing special in regards to his studies. Well, I thought if our boy was clever enough to look after his cyberwoman then he must have something about him. Maybe he had altered his file and was hiding his past? I’d wanted to use Torchwood Four for a while – here was my chance :)

Just a quick ramble about Ianto’s heritage. Many people guessed about his grandfather, well that he was at least a Time Lord. However, I deliberately didn’t mention his grandmother (but I did refer to his mum and dad) until the end. Now my Whovian knowledge is not brilliant, but I thought if Time Lords could breed easily with other species then they wouldn’t have died out (Time War or no Time War). So obviously I needed someone special to become our Mr Jones’s granny. The Carrionites (DW season 3 The Shakespeare Code) could manipulate magic and physics ... I thought they’d do me nicely!